Quintessence
by RememberMeWhen
Summary: "That promise of forever," he said, very slowly, "do you still want to keep it?" Going against the odds, the Doctor fights against everything in his path to get his Rose Tyler back. But, when the Doctor eventually succeeds, the universe and Time itself corrupts. Can he and Rose fix the damage he's done or will they have to face their inevitable separation? Reunion with a twist.
1. The Last Solution

_Quintessence: A theory in Aristotle's physics. Aristotle held the belief that the universe was divided into two parts; the terrestrial (earthly) region and the celestial (heavenly) region. In the realm of the Earth, all bodies were made out of the four substances – earth, fire, air and water, whereas in the region of the universe beyond the moon, the heavenly bodies such as the sun, stars and planets were made of a fifth substance called _quintessence_. This was a pure, perfect substance. _

_ Quintessential love – pure and perfect love, lived beyond the stars – was alluded to in the poem 'The Good Morrow' by John Donne. _

_My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears,_

_And true plain hearts do in the faces rest;_

_Where can we find two better hemispheres_

_Without sharp north, without declining west?_

_Whatever dies, was not mix'd equally;_

_If our two loves be one, or thou and I_

_Love so alike that none can slacken, none can die._

_Disclaimer: The poetry is not mine; all rights belong to the publishers. Doctor Who only holds a place in my heart, but it seems that doesn't mean I own it. _

* * *

Prologue

The Doctor grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. "Rose, don't you understand?" he spat, beseeching her to properly listen. "Time is trying to catch up with us – the universe is out to get us. We have to keep running as far as we can!"

Rose shook her head. Tears were spilling from her eyes, telling him the truth. "Doctor we can't run forever."

"Yes, we can and we will!"

He lashed out in anger, his hands gripped at his hair. He appeared to be mad, deranged – heartbroken. He didn't understand how she was so resigned to the fact that their time together was ending.

It was only then he noticed her flinch. Her eyes were wide and watery. He was scaring her.

"Rose," he whispered, tenderly, "I can't lose you."

* * *

Chapter One: The Last Solution

Rose stared out at the sea. Its brisk and troublesome waves reflected her mood in that moment as she waited for him. Was this his goodbye? Or was he promising her that – one day – he would return?

Whatever the dream meant, whatever reason why the voice was calling out to her, she had already discussed the possibilities with Pete and Jackie. They had all came to the same agreement that Rose was better off with the Doctor than stuck on a parallel world which held no future opportunities. Jackie had Pete – and now the baby, her concerns would be elsewhere. She shouldn't have to worry about her nineteen year old daughter in constant danger.

Yet, that didn't mean they wouldn't miss each other. Or Mickey, for that matter. Rose was sure this was what she wanted. If there was any way she could be reunited – even if it meant doing the impossible and endangering life as she knew it – Rose would face anything, head on, and face it with open arms.

In a gentle gust of wind, Rose noticed the image of the translucent Doctor. He was standing, feet apart, looking right at her. But something wasn't right – his eyes held that mad glare he used to own when he was stressed or under pressure.

"Where are you?" she asked. All she could see was him; no surroundings.

"Inside the TARDIS," he gushed, sonic screwdriver in hand, "there's only one tiny gap in the universe left. Just about to close. And it takes a lot of power to send this projection. I'm in orbit around a supernova. I'm burning up a sun to do this. Never done that before."

Rose shook her head in an attempt to clear it. "You look like a ghost."

"Hold on." He twisted the sonic screwdriver and pointed it at something unseen to Rose. His image immediately became clearer and more enhanced.

Rose took a few reluctant steps forward. She held out her hand, wanting nothing more than to touch him. "Can I…?"

"I'm still just an image. No touch," the Doctor paused, a smile pulling at his lips. "Not yet, anyhow."

Frowning, she asked, "What do you mean? Can't you come through properly?"

"That's what I'm trying to do, Rose Tyler, but I need to ask you something first."

Her heart skipped a beat and she said nothing. Their eyes locked onto one another; the Doctor's dark and pleading, Rose's wide and desperate.

"That promise of forever," he said, very slowly, "do you still want to keep it?"

Rose made a sound, halfway between a shout of joy and an outcry of surprise. "Are you saying you can get me out of here? Back with you."

"Only if you want me to," the Doctor edged.

There was a moment, only a brief moment, when Rose turned to where her mother, Pete and Mickey were standing and watching. Something deep down told her to reconsider. To think this through. The Doctor said the breach would close forever, so why now was he able to get her back?

But this was what she wanted, wasn't it? This was what she hoped would happen. It had been three months since she'd last seen him and during those three months Rose had realised the extent of her love for him. It was impossible for them to be separated. She couldn't let this opportunity slip between her fingers.

"Do you even have to ask?" Rose said, jubilantly. "Of course I do!"

"Quite right too," the Doctor responded, bursting with fresh excitement. "Where are you? Where did the gap come out?"

"Norway. We're in Norway."

"Norway? Oops, sorry. Now, this isn't going to be easy and I've only got two minutes. Norway is going to have a really bad earthquake once I start this. You've got two minutes, Rose. Two minutes to say goodbye to your mother. This is your last chance to change your mind."

Rose's perspective was clear in theory. In practice; of course it was going to be hard to say goodbye to someone you loved with all of your heart. She turned on her heel without another word, and ran across the muddy sand to where her mother was standing, arms open, ready to accept her. Rose clung onto her embrace as the tears freely fell down her frozen cheeks. Jackie was stroking her hair with words of encouragement, but she could tell from her mother's tone and wobbly voice that she was finding this hard too.

"He can do it, mum; he can get me back –"

"This is your decision and your decision only. Is this what you want?" Jackie asked as she grabbed her daughter's head between her hands and stared into her eyes.

A wave of guilt enveloped Rose. "He's so lonely and he _needs_ someone. You have Pete, and the baby and Mickey will look after you," Rose reasoned. Was she trying to convince herself, or her mother?

"There's no going back, Rose," Jackie warned with tears dropping from her eyelashes. "I'll never see you again, sweetheart. But I said it before, and I'll say it again; you've convinced me that this is your own life and you have to make your own decisions. No matter how much they break my heart."

Rose's voice caught in her throat. Pete engulfed her in a massive hug as she struggled to form words and she accepted it with silent thanks. Mickey then took over by kissing her on the cheek, his eyes glistening with emotion.

"We always knew this was going to happen," he told her, rationally. "We're always separated by events, you and me."

"I'm sorry, Mickey," she said in a whisper – and he knew she meant for everything.

Mickey shot her a cheeky smile. "Yeah well, thanks."

"Thanks for what?" Rose asked with a mischievous grin.

"Exactly," Mickey said, winking, as they repeated their previous conversation when she had ran off with the Doctor for the first time. After a short pause, however, he added, "And have a good life, Rose."

She nodded, slightly absentmindedly. Jackie pulled her into another hug. In a small voice that no one else could hear, she whispered, "Make sure he takes good care of you because I'll never forgive him for stealing you away. But it's a little bit of compensation when I know you're being looked after."

"I love you, mum," Rose cried into her shoulder. "I'll always love you."

"I love you too," Jackie said as she pulled away and let go of her daughter. "Now go. Do what you do best with him. Save the world."

The hardest thing of all was for Rose to turn her back on her mother and slowly run towards the Doctor. It made her decision very clear. There was no going back now. Yet, at the bottom of Jackie Tyler's heart, she still hoped until the very last moment that Rose would change her mind. Despite the promises.

Rose's tearful eyes blurred her surroundings and suddenly the line separating sand from sea from sky no longer existed. Everything was stormy, everything was dull and everything was grey. There was only the feeling of wet sand under her foot, the sound of the cold waves and the cloudy light stinging her eyelids to tell her there was a difference between the three. It mirrored her mixed emotions over head, heart and promise.

The Doctor waved without seeing to Jackie Tyler and Mickey. His translucent image was tied up in wires and cable cords. He hoped with all his might this would work, otherwise, two realities would fall into the void.

He ignored Rose's plentiful tears as she approached with staggering footsteps. _Domestics_. They weren't quite his thing, even after all of this time. He had given her a chance to leave and live a normal life. He just wished it had been different – that she didn't need to choose him or her family.

"If I come through properly the whole thing will collapse. Two realities will shatter. _But_, I'm trying to slightly extend the one remaining gap that is open by harnessing the energy of the supernova. With help from the faithful TARDIS, it should open just enough so you can be pulled through and into this reality – closing instantly. The problem is: what happens when you close a glass window too fast? Both windows shatter, or crack a tiny bit, meaning that if anything happens to both worlds simultaneously, they'll fall together at the same time. Which happens quite frequently on parallel worlds. So, my only solution is to hope for the best and try and support the infrastructure as best as I can," he rambled as he attempted to explain his choice of actions. "This is the only way I can get you back, Rose. I've thought of everything."

"I'm ready when you are," she replied with a fresh buzz of energy. She was trying to do anything she could to free her mind from the overwhelming guilt she was feeling.

"Right," the Doctor paused, his eyes locked onto hers, and he braced himself for the destruction he was about to cause. "Allons-y!"

The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the contraption of wires and everything inside the TARDIS erupted into chaos. Bright sparks consumed the console, causing the Doctor to leap to the side to avoid any injury. The ground beneath Rose's feet started to shake out of control; she turned to give Jackie one last fleeting look before falling to the trembling sandy beach floor. Just above her head appeared a golf ball sized hole – it was purple and bleeding yellow energy. Around its edges it seemed to be cracking and splitting and widening until it snapped to the size of a football. The cracks around the outside expanded a foot across and for a very brief moment Rose thought it had all went wrong.

A very familiar hand peeped through the purple hole in reality. Realising the visual image of the Doctor had disappeared; Rose reached up to grab onto it. The hand pulled her in, and the purple puncture absorbed her whole body until she was flung into another reality. The next thing she knew, she was lying on top of the metal gridding inside the TARDIS. All around her was bright orange flames. The thick scent of smoke made her choke on the air. She looked up with stinging eyes to see the Doctor zooming around the TARDIS, reaching for levers and desperately slamming down on buttons. Rose wanted to help – she tried to stand on her feet, but the TARDIS lurched to the side, and she fell with it.

"Doctor!" Rose yelled at the top of her lungs. "What's happening?!"

"We're crashing!" he shouted back, now with a fire extinguisher in one of his hands. "Time is trying to fix the wound I created! The TARDIS is pushed into overdrive. If I don't fix it, we'll all fall into the void!"

Wincing, Rose noticed it felt like one of her ribs was badly bruised. She attempted to stand again, but the Doctor advised her otherwise.

"Stay where you are! The TARDIS isn't safe; she's corrupting from the inside."

Rose took his advice and stayed where she was. The Doctor climbed on top of the TARDIS console. He used his strength to hang onto the central beam which was now flashing a dangerous shade of red. He pointed his sonic screwdriver at something deep within the control panel. There was a singular bright red spark. Then everything fell silent.

The flames died down, the TARDIS engine stopped. Everything slowed. The Doctor let go of the central beam and sucked in a deep, calming breath. With white smoke still hanging in the air, he squinted over to Rose and shot her a brilliant white smile.

"Well," he said triumphantly. "That was –"

BANG!

Something had hit the TARDIS on the outside. It spun out of control and sent the Doctor falling to the floor in an awkward position, right beside Rose. There was an awful falling sensation, in which Rose let out a small squeak of terror and the Doctor groaned in annoyance. The TARDIS engine seemed to be fighting an exterior threat which was pulling them further and further down into something unknown. The engines protested and the blue central beam flickered with its last drain of energy. Whatever was happening didn't sound too good.

"We're falling!" the Doctor told Rose as they were pressed to the TARDIS floor. "Something's pulling us in!"

"What are we going to do?" Rose shrieked.

The Doctor grabbed her hands in both of his and let out a cry of excitement. "The TARDIS is too exhausted to fight it off – we'll just have to wait and see. Welcome back, Rose Tyler, to my wonderful life of madness and mayhem!"

Despite their current situation, and ignoring the fact that only a few moments ago they had nearly destroyed two worlds in their reunion, Rose responded with a jubilant smile, and said, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

* * *

A/N: The first chapter was always going to be crap and badly written – it is definitely going to get better. If you've read my story _The Companion Who Never Was_, then you'll know how this story is going to be developed. I make up my own adventures, not linked to episodes in the show, and write them like any other episode in the series. This involves my own creation of aliens, events in history and so on. So, just to make it clear, this is not a rewrite of series three but containing Rose. Just think of it as an alternative series that happened, but wasn't shown on television. And is going to be heartbreakingly sad.

I don't own WHO, and a large part of this chapter was taken from the last episode in series two. It's rated T in case I feel like writing an episode which is scary or could be frightening. Sometimes this involves mild swearing too. With all the technicalities out of the way, I hope you enjoy reading this story, and I try to upload once or twice a week. Reviews/Favourites/Follows would be amazing!


	2. A Rushed Reunion

A/N: There is a reference to Starship UK from the Eleventh Doctor episode in this chapter – but it occurs before the Eleventh Doctor investigates Starship UK, so Ten is sceptical of the goings on. But the Eleventh Doctor did know about Starship UK before investigating, so that implies he's aware of it without knowing the mystery behind it. If you're still interested then review/follow and favourite!

Chapter Two: A Rushed Reunion

The TARDIS fell to the planet below in a series of swirls and spirals as the last spark of energy drained from its soul. With a clatter and a shake, and a pathetic creak from the main structure of the interior, everything inside the TARDIS switched off. The Doctor and Rose, still clinging onto each other, let the silence fall around them.

Nothing moved. There wasn't even a glimmer of light. The Doctor didn't let go of Rose's hand as he flipped onto his back and gently helped her up. They cautiously treaded over to the main console, where the Doctor leaned over to the central beam and stroked the glass surface. The TARDIS emitted a gentle hum at his touch, but other wise remained still.

"Is she alright?" Rose whispered, breaking the silence.

"She will be. She's just weak," the Doctor explained. "First of all I ask her to break through two dimensions and then stick a big plaster over the wound. Right after that an external force pulls her in. Not to mention that crash landing."

Rose nodded, a little absentmindedly. "I'll tell you what, though."

The Doctor glanced at her, his eyes wide and curious in a silent question.

"That was one _hell_ of a rescue," Rose said in awe.

The Doctor laughed out in joy; sweeping Rose up into his arms and spinning her around.

BANG!

Flinching, the Doctor slowly lowered Rose back to the ground – both of them stared, cautiously, at the TARDIS doors.

BANG!

Rose's gaze met the Doctor's as the knocking sound was repeated. They stood perfectly still, listening for anymore sounds.

BANG!

The Doctor grabbed his coat and ran towards the door, beckoning Rose to follow.

"What do you think it is?" she asked.

"Consistent," answered the Doctor, fixing the collar on his long brown coat, "Judging by the knocking, it sounds as if someone is seeing if there's anyone home. Threatening? Possibly. Dangerous? Most likely. Is there anything else we can do but open these doors? Absolutely not."

A flash of mischief crossed Rose's eyes, despite everything. She straightened her black jacket and flicked her blonde hair out of her eyes before sauntering over to the Doctor. "I guess that means we're back in business," she winked.

"I'd ask you if you're alright, and we probably should be talking about more serious issues at the moment, yet somehow, there never seems to be enough time." He flourished his hand towards the door, with a gentle but heavy look lingering in his eyes. "After you, Miss Rose Tyler."

Rose felt a little stab of pain in her chest at his words. Instead of admitting he was right, she did quite the opposite. With an appreciative curtsy, Rose pulled open the TARDIS doors to face what was behind them.

She barely stepped out of the blue box when a strong and powerful hand flew out of nowhere and grabbed her around the neck. She was dragged and pushed against the wall, her feet dangling a few inches off the ground. Her hands fumbled on the iron clasp as she steadily started to panic, especially as a similar sound of shock told her the Doctor had also been treated in the same way.

"Get off her! _Now!"_

A rough, manly voice bellowed through the confusion. "Did you do this? Is your ship responsible?! _Answer me!"_

It was only then Rose noticed how humid and thick the air was. She glanced down at the hand holding her; it was sweaty and covered in burns. She followed the length of the arm, until she met the eyes of the man. He had thick black ruffled hair, a strong jawline and thick lips. Beads of sweat were forming on his broad forehead as his beady eyes watched her pale face stare back at him.

"You pulled _us_ in!" the Doctor hissed in utter frustration. "Now put her down!"

The man loosened his grip slightly, which allowed Rose to breathe in more oxygen. She gasped in relief. He nodded to his friend who was holding the Doctor, instructing him to do the same. His beady eyes were filling with water. His distress was clearly written on every worry line on his face. He appeared to be in his thirties and his arms and upper body were extremely muscly. They rippled across his chest as he sucked in every stressed breath.

"Who are you?" he asked in a murmur.

"We can help if you put us down," the Doctor answered immediately.

For a moment the man seemed unsure. He passed a glance at his friend holding the Doctor – he was muscly like him, only with long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and a ginger goatee. He shrugged in response. "What other option do we have, Lorcan?"

The dark haired man holding her, Lorcan, gave Rose a careful stare before letting her drop to the ground. As her feet hit the floor, her hand jumped to her neck, massaging away the feeling that he'd left behind. The Doctor, also released, ran over to her, resting a protective hand on her shoulder.

"I'm Tobias, Junior Engineer," said the blonde man, "that's Lorcan Bartholomew, Commanding Officer with distinct honours. And you are?"

"A bit confused as to where we are," the Doctor snapped, clearly agitated. "And judging by the rising temperature and general humidity of this spaceship, I'm guessing you're having a little trouble with your engines. Well, when I say little I mean big. When I say big I mean huge – I think this spaceship is going to go up in flames any minute. We're standing on a wire whilst someone is cutting it from one side. We're just dangling, ready to fall. What happened?"

While Tobias seemed like he was having trouble keeping up, Lorcan could answer him confidently. "This is Starship UK's Discovery Platform. I'm sure you've heard of us, human or not. One minute we were going about our daily basis, the next we get a warning that your ship is crashing down upon us. The engines flare out of control, the temperature rises – half of the ship blows up with some of the crew still trapped inside. And you're right. Any minute this ship is going to be dust floating amongst the stars. Us and all."

"We didn't crash. We _were_ crashing, and I solved it. Your ship pulled us in," the Doctor argument, adamantly.

Lorcan shrugged, his eyes never leaving the Doctor's face. "All I know is that our ship was fine until your ship came aboard."

The Doctor, hands in his pockets and staring confidently ahead, walked within a few inches of Lorcan, so that he was looking up at the man's chin. Lorcan had to look down to keep eye contact. The Doctor paused for a second too long which made Rose shuffle uncomfortably.

"Lorcan Patrick Bartholomew?" the Doctor questioned.

Lorcan frowned. "I'm pretty sure I only told you it was Lorcan Bartholomew."

"Well, what can I say? I'm good with names." The Doctor watched him closely. Rose could tell that he recognised Lorcan's name from somewhere but was refusing to say. Taking a step back and a twirl in his long brown trench coat, the Doctor proclaimed, "I'm the Doctor and this is my faithful companion Rose. I've just got her back so I'm not about to lose her because your petty ship is in the process of exploding. I'll fix it and we'll be off. Deal?"

Tobias spoke up as he went to stand beside Rose. "How can we trust you?"

"Just stand back and let me do all the work without making yourself look too stupid in the process," the Doctor replied with a wide smile. "As you said, Tobias Thomas, what other option do you have?"

Lorcan snorted. "The man with no name seems to be up to date with ours." He paused and looked at the ground, shaking his head ever so slightly. "We'll accept your help. The trouble started in the engine room, so we'll make our way down there."

He rummaged through his pockets and pulled out two clip-on communication devices. As he passed one each to the Doctor and Rose, they were instructed to clip them to their jackets. Without further ado, Lorcan silently directed them in the right direction. He and Tobias led the way.

Now that they had privacy to talk, Rose lagged behind the group to ask the Doctor a few vital questions.

"What exactly is Starship UK?" she asked in a hushed whisper.

"In the twenty-ninth century solar flares roast the Earth. So, the human race migrates to the stars for safety until the weather improves. Starship UK is the spaceship boarded by the whole of the United Kingdom's population. Searching the stars for a new home."

"And the Discovery Platform?"

The Doctor placed his hand on the small of Rose's back, hurrying her along to keep up with the group. "A ship sent out before Starship UK – with the sole purpose of guiding the bigger ship along. Lorcan and his crew are explorers. They travel a few hundred miles ahead and check out the surrounding location, making sure it's safe before Starship UK travels through. As Starship UK searches for a new home, the Discovery Platform _finds_ them a new home. Just until Earth is safe again."

"Sounds dangerous," said Rose, eyeing Lorcan and Tobias carefully. "But I know you too well, Doctor. You recognise them both from somewhere, don't you?"

The Doctor's lips pressed into a thin line. "I'm not an expert on Starship UK, Rose, and I won't pretend to be – I haven't even been on board. I'm not up to speed on the Discovery Platform either. But you're right. I have heard of Lorcan Bartholomew and Tobias Thomas before. Especially Lorcan."

"Is that a good or bad thing?"

The Doctor met Rose's gaze as they continued down the humid and narrow corridor, only a few metres behind the last two remaining members of the crew. As she looked up into the Doctor's face, his expression was perfectly unemotional and gave away no secrets.

"Well," he answered in a resigned tone. "I've yet to make up my mind."


	3. Mysteries and Mayhem

A/N: Sorry for the delay – a mixture between an allergic reaction to hayfever medicine (attractive, I know) and having a new idea for a new story kept me behind. But did you know it's been scientifically proven that reviews makes a writer write faster?* So go on then, you know you want to!

*Subject to personal dilemmas in said writer's life.

Chapter Three: Mysteries and Mayhem

The further they travelled into the heart of the ship, the hotter the temperature grew. Rose had to remove her black jacket and tie it around her waist as it became unbearably humid. She didn't understand how the Doctor was still unaffected, or Lorcan and Tobias for that matter. Rose's red top had already started to cling to her warm skin and the hair hanging down the back of her neck was damp with sweat.

Lorcan and Tobias stopped at a large and sturdy titanium metal door. Lorcan looked over his shoulder at the Doctor and Rose as he wiped away beads of sweat which were straying down his forehead.

"This is where most of the heat is coming from," he warned them. "Be prepared for a gust of warm wind to pour down this corridor."

The Doctor slightly shielded Rose with the bulk of his body. Lorcan took a deep breath, confirmed his readiness with Tobias before both of them pulled open the heavy door.

A wave of heat rushed over all four of them. Rose was surprised to see her skin hadn't blistered at the very touch. The Doctor's hair was sticking up all over the place – it looked as if a giant hand had bent down and ruffled his hair. He immediately jumped into action as soon as it was safe enough. He threw his brown coat over a broken pipe, like a hanger, and raced off to the nearest computer. Lorcan followed him closely behind while Tobias wandered into the depths of the machinery.

The engine room was red with heat which was reflected in the bundle of tall titanium machines and pile of computers stacked on one side. It was too messy and unorganised for Rose to analyse and observe every aspect of the room, especially because of the large heat waves flowing like water across her vision. As she moved to investigate some of the machinery, she glanced over to where the Doctor was scanning one of the computers. All she could see was a blurred outline, obscured by the humidity.

As she delved into the darkness of the machines, she kept her eyes open for anything that could be useful. Her eyes darted over a worn away description on one of the engine tanks. It appeared to be the main fuel tank in the room. Rose was careful not to touch it; however, as whatever fuel inside was sure to be boiling with the warmth of its surroundings.

Instead, Rose leaned in closer to see if she could make out the markings. She followed the outlines of two letters – 'CF' in capitalisation, followed by a few more indistinguishable digits. Was that a sort code? Serial number? Identification code?

As she was thinking it over, another thing hit her. With her face merely millimetres away from the fuel tank, shouldn't she be able to feel heat emitting from the metal? Rose backed away slightly and studied the tank for a few moments. Cautiously, she placed a reluctant fingertip on the titanium and pulled it away quickly. It wasn't warm. This time, she gently placed her whole hand onto the surface.

The whole tank was cold. What did cold metal in heat this temperature mean? The fuel tank was empty. Rose had seen things similar to this in her many travels. Tanks that weren't tanks, ghosts that weren't ghosts, robots that weren't robots.

"What are you doing?"

Rose jumped at the sudden question. Tobias was standing slightly behind her, a curious expression on his face. Something in his eyes made him look ever so slightly nervous. Immediate assumptions jumped to Rose's mind.

"This tank is cold," she told him, pointing towards the metal. "Ship this large, temperature this hot, tank that would usually hold fuel in an engine room – why is the tank cold?"

Tobias gave an awkward shrug. "I don't know."

"But you're the engineer," said Rose carefully. Her eyes narrowed. "You tell me."

For a few moments Tobias struggled to form words. An absent minded hand slipped to his ginger goatee as he pondered over Rose's observation.

"Perhaps the… molecules in the metal have started to expand causing the –"

Rose interrupted him, completely unconvinced. "No, don't give me that. I've travelled with the Doctor for many, many years and he spouts off rubbish a mile a minute – this tank should be holding fuel which would be near its optimum boiling point because of the heat in this place. So why's it cold?"

"It's just titanium," Tobias said, a little defensively. "Perhaps the fuel has been mixed with something else by accident."

"Or the tank is empty. There is no fuel," announced Rose.

Tobias was a bit slow to react, but in the end, he settled for gaping. Rose could see he was acting, she could see he knew something he didn't want to tell. Especially when he tried to cover his mistakes.

"I'm sure it's not important," Tobias conceded. He brushed it off like he was talking about the weather.

"Not important?" Rose repeated. The heat was starting to affect her concentration. "If there's no fuel then what's this ship running on, huh? And you're the _engineer_; you'd think you would've noticed!"

Tobias was clearly caught unawares. Rose was just about to call out for the Doctor, when he called out for her.

"Rose! Get over here!"

With one more penetrating look from Rose, she turned her back on Tobias and made her way towards the Doctor.

"Wait –"

The Doctor was leaning over the computers again when Rose reached him – his brown glasses were perched on his nose and his face was twisted into an uncompromising grimace. Lorcan was beside him, head in his hands as he sat on the edge of the desk. Realising something was wrong; Rose rushed over followed closely by an urgent Tobias.

"We've only got eleven minutes before all of this blows up," said the Doctor, now rubbing his eyes with his hands. "I could so easily, any other time, just leave this ship and take us all away on the TARDIS – drop off Lorcan and Tobias on Starship UK and forget about this mess."

Rose frowned. It wasn't like the Doctor to give up so easily, but then again, he did say he wasn't going to risk losing Rose again, no matter what – something that still made her heart ache with so many emotions.

"Why can't we just get in the TARDIS and fly away then?"

He looked up at her question, his eyes dark with fury. "This ship drained the last remaining drop of energy from the TARDIS's core. She's powerless until I fix her – and that'll take a lot more than eleven lousy minutes."

"Doctor –" Rose started too soon, but he interrupted her.

"But there's another thing," he shouted, high with adrenaline, "I scanned this whole room and there's not one – not _one_ – sign of an engine. This Platform should be moving, unless the engine isn't recorded on the computers. Which is highly unlikely. And Lorcan here is claiming he has no knowledge of why this is!"

Lorcan stood up, annoyed, and kicked the side of the desk.

Rose gave a heavy sigh. "Doctor, can you let me speak? This is important. We only have eleven minutes left, and unfortunately you can't talk your way out of this one."

The Doctor looked up at her. He appeared to be slightly hurt. "Okay, sorry Rose, go ahead."

"I had a look at the tanks, which traditionally hold the fuel, right? Well, it's cold. It's empty," Rose confessed. "No engine. No fuel. What's causing this platform to explode when neither of them exists?"

"Everything was fine until the exact moment your ship landed!" Lorcan shouted in utter annoyance.

The Doctor stood up and looked Lorcan straight in the eyes. "For the last time, _we were pulled in_. Now what are you hiding on this ship, Lorcan Bartholomew? What are you pretending you don't know?"

Lorcan and the Doctor remained passive in their opposing stance. Rose, impatient with the overload of testosterone, interrupted their silent argument.

"We have _eleven_ minutes – most likely nine now since you's two insist on staring in each others like a couple of loved up teenagers – don't you think we need to do something?" Rose rounded on Lorcan. "_You_ need to start telling us the facts so we can help." She turned to Tobias. "_You_ need to start acting like the engineer that you supposedly are." Finally, she stood in front of the Doctor. "And _you_ just need to start being brilliant so I can stop sounding like my mother!"

The Doctor's eyes twinkled at her words. "Rose, you should know by now that I'm always perfectly brilliant. I couldn't agree more." His tone darkened, however, when he glanced back at Lorcan and Tobias. The Storm was coming.

"Let me tell you a little thing or two, Lorcan," the Doctor started. "I'm a Time Lord. Do you know what that means? I travel in Time. I know more things than you could possibly believe. Due to my incredible knowledge and understanding of human history – I recognise your name._ Lorcan Patrick Bartholomew_ _of Starship UK's Discovery Platform_. I know your history. I know what you've done in your travels to reach the outmost limits of outer space. Do you know what else?"

Lorcan had no words. He was perfectly still, without a single movement, apart from the single bead of sweat dripping down the side of his cheek like a tear of apprehension.

"I know Lorcan Bartholomew doesn't die on this platform because I know what Lorcan Bartholomew does next." He paused and let his words sink in. Then, in his most fierce voice, he shouted, "You and Tobias do something that becomes a fixed point in Time. Five years from now, your names will be recorded in the history books forever. But at the moment, Time is in flux, and if we don't make it, that fixed point is lost. That _can't_ happen. So you tell me for your own good, what is going on in this ship?"

Every word was like a bullet which lodged deep in the heart of Lorcan's consciousness. He failed to see what the Doctor could manage to magic up in less than eleven minutes, but he succeeded in putting all of his faith onto the last echoing remainder of hope he could find.

Honestly, he answered, "No one knows how a large ship like Starship UK is flying, but before the arrangement was made, we were put into action. You're right there is no engine as such, but there is fuel."

"Let's leave Starship UK for another day, shall we? It's pretty early in its overall journey, anyway. What is the fuel _source_, Lorcan?"

"Tobias?"

Lorcan looked to his Junior Engineer for help, but Tobias appeared out of his depth. "Beau could explain it better – I was only learning. He'd been working with it for years before we decided to use it on this platform."

"Try your best," the Doctor prompted.

"All I know is it's some sort of vortex energy. Experts came across it quite by mistake. Despite the solar flares the energy remained in exactly the same area. Nothing could corrupt it, but Beau found a way to use it."

Something clicked in Rose's mind. "Doctor, there was a code on the tank back there. It started with CF. What if it was a postcode?"

"Well," the Doctor said, his eyes now wide, "that would make it the postcode area of Cardiff."

"Yes, because this ship was made in Cardiff," Lorcan put in.

"And the vortex energy was running through Cardiff city, according to Beau's notes. He even came to the conclusion that if the Earth was taken away, the vortex energy would still run through the place where Cardiff used to be. Like a permanent wound," explained Tobias, a little nervous.

The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand to pull her closer. His eyes were dark and mysterious. "They used the rift," he said, quietly. There was a brief pause. Louder, the Doctor shouted, "You used the rift! You idiots!"

"How can they use the rift?" Rose asked, confused. "Doctor, what does that mean?"

"It means…" the Doctor looked desperately around him, as if he was searching for an escape route. When nothing came to mind, he stared in Rose's face, finding a source of comfort there. "It means I don't know how to fix this."


	4. A Coward's Way Out

A/N: Hint: there is going to be a recurring theme of broken glass running throughout this story. Starting in this chapter. Try and see if you can spot it in the stories yet to come.

Chapter Four: A Coward's Way Out

"What? What do you mean you don't know how to fix this?"

The Doctor looked away from her and started to rapidly pace the length of the steamy room.

"Doctor?"

He stopped abruptly, jumped over the pile of desks and kneeled in front of the main computer. "The rift is not meant to be tampered with, Rose. It's a powerful being meant to be left alone. This ship has been using it as fuel. They've been extracting the very ions and impartial neurons that make the rift what it is – a crack in Time and space. The TARDIS was exhausted after getting you back – probably even a little bit dazed. As we were crashing she must've located the nearest source of energy which she could use to recharge. Meanwhile, the stolen rift energy from this ship called out to the heart of the TARDIS. Vortex energy; they recognised each other. Now, imagine holding two strong magnets a few centimetres apart. The magnetic field would be strong, right? Strong enough to cause some sort of impact on both sides. Now imagine suddenly letting them both go. That's what happened here only with a hell of a lot more power."

"So it was the vortex field that caused our ship to explode – the section storing the rift energy," Lorcan concluded.

"It transported the stolen rift energy back to its rightful place in Cardiff and a big burst of sudden energy like that meant everything on that side of the ship went up in flames," finished the Doctor. He had started to type something into the computer, "I can't fight against rift energy, Lorcan. The other half of this ship is ready to explode any moment. Seven minutes, in fact. All the last remaining droplets of rift energy are being drained from the corners of everything we see. These computers use rift energy to function, as do anything that would usually be electrical – even something a simple as a kettle. The unused rift energy was transported back, yes; it's just a matter of time for the rest to follow."

Lorcan nodded to himself. His muscled arms rippled as he covered his long face with his hands. He sighed, swore and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Only one thing we can do then. The temperature is constantly rising in this place. We have to abandon ship."

Just as he said it, the far section of the engine room burst into thick orange and yellow flames. Grey smoke started to pour from the affected area. Rose let out a screech of horror. The Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her down as Lorcan and Tobias spun around in shock. The ground beneath them started to rumble like the sound of thunder.

"You said we had seven minutes!" Lorcan shouted in haste.

"No, the computer said we had seven minutes!" the Doctor argued. While still holding Rose's hand, he lurched forward to bolt for the door but the trembling ground made them both stumble to the side.

Lorcan pulled them up with his tremendous strength and held the Doctor in his grip a while longer to get a good look at his face. "You have a ship. Takes us away from here."

"A ship that won't fly!" the Doctor snapped back.

"You said she would've recharged on the rift energy!"

"It wouldn't be enough but you're right – it's the best chance we have. The only problem is making it back to where we started."

Rose let out a heaving sigh and dragged the Doctor and Lorcan forward. "Well, come on then!"

Tobias scrambled after them as they rushed through the titanium door. He stopped to close it behind them but Lorcan shouted after him.

"Tobias, leave it! There's no time!"

"It'll stop it for a while, Lorcan! It's a solid titanium door!"

Lorcan ran back and grabbed his friend by his shirt. "This whole ship is titanium. If titanium could've stopped it, do you think half of our ship would've exploded? _Now, come on!_"

Just ahead of them, Rose was struggling to keep up with the Doctor. The temperature had risen once again and now it felt as if she was running through boiling water. The air was thick and dry and the metal around them had started to steam. Each step took more effort than Rose could find within her.

"It seems like all we do is run down corridors," Rose wheezed.

The Doctor let out a breathless laugh. Light heartedly, he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Bit hot, but you know, can't be helped."

"That's not what I meant."

Rose knew exactly what he meant but there was no time to talk about everything that had happened just yet.

As they turned the corner into the last corridor with Lorcan and Tobias close behind them, another low rumble echoed under their feet. The glass windows framed in titanium shattered into tiny jewelled pieces and rained down on them all like hailstones. The Doctor's hand slipped from Rose's grip as she covered her head with her hands. Lorcan's dark hair glittered with small crystals and a cut across his cheek showed that a piece of glass had hit his face. He pulled on Tobias's shirt before inspecting the gaps where the windows once were.

"These glass windows were reinforced with diamond molecules in case our platform ever crash landed," Lorcan explained. His eyebrows pulled together. "How the _hell_ did they break?"

The Doctor's gaze held a shadow of doubt. He regained his hold on Rose's hand and shook the pieces of glass from her hair. "Just keep moving!"

Hand in hand, Rose and the Doctor stumbled back into a run. Lorcan and Tobias were a little slower behind them, and it was this that caused the difference.

BANG!

The Doctor and Rose were thrown into the side of the corridor. Behind them a metal beam supporting the ceiling collapsed onto the floor. It was slanted across the extent of the narrow corridor. One end was still connected to wires and raised high against the wall; the other was sparking with flames and hitting the ground.

But the most frightening thing of all was that the Doctor and Rose were on one side, and Lorcan and Tobias were trapped on the other.

"Lorcan!" the Doctor shouted. He was back on his feet and reaching over the titanium beam to reach him. Rose was on his other side, reaching for Tobias.

The flames from the engine room had reached them on the opposite end of the corridor; Lorcan and Tobias started to climb over the beam with the help of Rose and the Doctor, but the metal had already started to steam with the temperature of the room. Tobias let go of Rose's hand as his palm blistered and fell backwards onto the floor. It was like climbing across the hot plate of an iron. Lorcan watched his friend fall and jumped down to help him back up. The ground started to rumble again.

"Get out!" yelled Lorcan to the Doctor and Rose. "We'll follow, just get out of here!"

The Doctor could sense what was going to happen before it did. Everything behind the fallen beam exploded into a giant fiery ball of flames. The titanium shattered, bright sparks flared out and travelled like little pockets of air further down the corridor. The gush of heat hit Rose in the face, feeling like severe sunburn. She watched in shock as Lorcan and Tobias were lost in the fire, completely and utterly speechless.

The Doctor's eyes were wide and his lips pulled into a grimace. Ignoring the oncoming threat, Rose spun around to face him.

"They're dead," Rose announced as if it was news. "They're properly dead. How could that happen?"

She received no reply.

"Doctor!" she shouted, trying to wake him up. "How could that happen? Fixed point in time you said, Lorcan was a fixed point in time, _so how could that happen?"_

"What they were _going_ to do was going to be a fixed point," the Doctor explained. "It hasn't happened yet."

"And obviously never will!" Rose snapped.

The Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her back into action. She allowed herself to be led into the main platform room, but everything around her was still in a daze. As if it wasn't quite real.

A sharp piece of piping broke off from the main structure. The Doctor dragged Rose to the floor as it flew over their heads.

"It might surprise you to know that I do listen to you sometimes," she told him as the ship fell apart around them. "And I know that shouldn't happen. Lorcan and Tobias were supposed to get out of this. You said so yourself."

"Rose, we don't have time to talk about this."

The TARDIS was only a few metres away now. Only a few more steps would take them there. The Doctor pushed Rose in front of him and the bolted for the safety of the little blue box.

They didn't reach it a moment too soon. The Doctor's just made it through the TARDIS doors when the whole ship exploded into a million tiny pieces behind him. He slammed the doors shut and leaned against them to ensure they were locked. Rose was sitting against the main console, looking up in the dull green light of the central beam.

He did everything he could to avoid eye contact with her. In truth, the Doctor was scared witless at what just happened. Rose was right – this was all never supposed to happen. Tobias and Lorcan safely landed on their destination with the platform fully in tact. They went onto do great things, not necessarily good all of the time, but their names were recorded as some of the most successful travellers Earth had ever produced. What would this affect in the future? The discovery of some medicines they collected on their trips, a pivotal war and now Starship UK would float around the stars without a guide.

Time would not do this intentionally. It was corrupting itself. And the Doctor couldn't help but feel like he was to blame. Perhaps Lorcan was right, perhaps the rift energy wouldn't have corrupted if the TARDIS had never landed. This was all leading to the terrifying conclusion that something had gone terribly wrong when he –

No. He wouldn't even _think_ of that. It was probably just a coincidence. A one off. This would not happen again.

He was pulled back into reality by a small sniffle through the silence. His eyes darted towards Rose, but he could not see her face. With slow steps he walked over to her, and with loving arms he embraced her as she cried into his blazer.

"It's okay," he muttered, "it's okay."

"Sorry," Rose spoke into his chest. "Just everything has happened too soon. Saying goodbye to my mum, and Pete, and Mickey and then what happened to Lorcan and Tobias… It's been a hell of a day."

"Why don't you get some sleep? The TARDIS kept your bedroom," the Doctor said, pulling away to get a good look at her face. Her black mascara was leaving tear tracks as she cried.

Rose nodded and held her head as if it was sore. "Yeah. I think I will."

Before she traipsed off to her usual room, he gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead. She needed some time alone to clear her mind from recent events. He understood that – as long as she wasn't regretting leaving her family.

Hands in pockets, the Doctor walked over to the console screen. It was lit up to show the coordinates of where they were now, following their progress as they casually floated through the stars. In the corner of the screen, directly on the left hand side, was a tiny hairline crack. The Doctor's hand curiously brushed against it and it gave a tiny crunch at his touch. That was unusual. The TARDIS was virtually indestructible.

He sighed as he stared into the green-blue light of the central beam, watching as the tired TARDIS hummed more faintly than usual. Something was going on, the Doctor concluded uneasily, and instead of confronting it he was going to run and keep going without looking back. For once he was using the coward's way out.

After all, when you have something precious, all you can do is run.

* * *

A/N: A review or two would be nice, especially since tomorrow at 7pm (well, here in the UK anyway) we find out who the new Doctor is! I sent in some questions, so hopefully they get asked but I'd like to know who you think would be/or should be number Twelve!


	5. Misinterpretations

A/N:_ I'm so sorry_ for the long delay – it's been a busy few weeks preparing to get A Level results and I couldn't focus on writing at all because I was so nervous. But I got into Uni! Yay! And not just any university - it's got the nickname "the Cambridge of Ireland." If you're new to this story, I'd love to hear from you! Drop a little review if you find the time.

Chapter Five: Misinterpretations

The next morning, or the Doctor assumed it would be morning; Rose traipsed into the kitchen tiredly, but with a little more bounce in her step than the day before. The Doctor greeted her with a warm smile and a bowl of her favourite cereal. They sat down together to eat.

"Are you okay today?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Well, that's reassuring."

Rose sighed and let her spoonful of cereal fall back into the bowl. "It's just… I'm not regretting you getting me back. Never. I just miss them."

His hand found hers on top of the table. "Which is understandable, Rose. But you'll adjust and move on. We all do when we have to."

There was something in his words that made Rose's chest twinge. She shook her head, and her senses, in frustration. No, she wasn't going to dwell on anything. She was going to be like the Doctor, constantly moving on. Now she understood why he did that more than ever.

_ But she's not Rose Tyler, not anymore. She's not even human._ Her mum's poignant words stuck in her head as she gazed into the chocolate remains of her cereal. With a sudden gust of energy, Rose jumped from her chair, determined to make the echoing words disappear.

"Right come on, you start the TARDIS. I'll get dressed."

The Doctor looked up at her, gaping, with a mouthful of cereal. "You haven't even finished your cereal – and neither have I!"

"We can go anywhere and anytime, and you'd prefer to eat your cereal?" Rose asked incredulously.

The Doctor pouted, clearly offended. "But I like my cereal!"

She simply raised her eyebrows and stalked off the way she came, and the Doctor was a slave to her command. He stared fondly at his moons and stars and planets floating in his caramel milk, and with a light hearted smile left both bowls at the side of the sink before heading down to the control room.

While Rose was sleeping through the night, the Doctor gently landed the TARDIS at the closest vortex fuel spot – on a small little planet with no inhabitants which owned something quite similar to the rift in Cardiff. Since it was powerful, the Doctor only needed to land for three hours for the TARDIS to have a substantial amount of energy. Now they were just floating through space close to the Romeon Galaxy.

When Rose returned, the Doctor could tell she had been crying. Her eyes were puffier than usual. He ignored it, however, and decided to hide his concern with excitement.

"Back to work – where do you want to go, Rose Tyler? It's entirely up to you."

Rose sat back on the captain's chair and looked over his shoulder at the scanner. "Where are we now?" she asked.

"The Romeon Galaxy," he answered quickly. "Boring, if you ask me. But we needed to refuel."

She smirked at him. "Is there a Juliet Galaxy?"

"Yes, funnily enough! They're partner Galaxies," the Doctor said, picking up on her thinking. "The only problem is, the two star systems were torn apart a few thousand years ago. The Julieton Galaxy now resides a few hundred thousand miles away."

Rose frowned. "That's heart-breaking. Just like what Shakespeare wrote."

"Actually, there is no connection between them. These two galaxies were formed and then ripped apart before Shakespeare, or Earth, was even born. Perhaps he just had a powerful sense of intuition. Maybe we should ask him sometime."

"Yeah," said Rose distantly, lost in a dream of thought. She looked back to how lost she felt when the Doctor was torn away from her; she could scarcely imagine the heartbreak caused by whole civilisations being ripped from one another. It really put things into perspective.

"So…" the Doctor said, leaning on his elbows and sensing the tension in the air. "Where to?"

Rose shook her head, cutting her daydream short. "Umm…" she tried to look around for inspiration, "how about a trip to the past?"

"Okay. Anywhere in mind or let the TARDIS decide?"

"TARDIS decide since I haven't got a clue."

The Doctor whizzed around and pressed the appropriate buttons and pulled the right levers. Rose watched him, still a little dazed by her own thoughts, feeling happy and sad and confused all at the same time.

He stopped to brush his hands against hers. It was a comforting gesture along with the added bit of support. For some reason Rose felt a little awkward. She could sense a change in the Doctor from last night. Just a little one. He seemed cautious, maybe even a bit reluctant to fly away. Sure, he was showing enthusiasm, but underneath he act Rose could see the Doctor for what he was really feeling.

When they landed, the TARDIS echoed an exhaustive groan. She was still tired from all of the drama the day before. Looking at the scanner, the Doctor smiled and said, "You'd better get dressed. We've landed in London 1809. Its winter I think. I'm glad, I like winter! Wouldn't it be nice to see proper snow for a change, eh Rose?"

Rose shot him a one sided smirk before turning towards the corridor. "Don't speak too soon. As soon as we walk out of those doors something will happen to break our dream."

When Rose returned she was dressed in a gorgeous satin blue gown with black lace embroidery. A blue sapphire necklace fashioned her neck and her hair was delicately curled and brought together in a loose bun at the top of her head. The Doctor's mouth dropped at her appearance. He quickly recovered and resolved the sudden tension in the air by rubbing his neck. If anyone could make him feel naked and underdressed, it was always Rose Tyler.

"Well, what do you think?"

"Is there a word stronger than beautiful? I can't think of one. And I really should be able to because I'm a master at thousands of languages. There's _adropodile_ in the Syberiad constellations, _pom_ in the Laxuruz planet of the Twelve – depending on the level of beauty, you use _pom_ over and over again until you feel like you've done justice. But if I answered your question with _pompompompompompom_ you'd never understand, would you? Actually, even if I explained you still couldn't understand because humans don't have an equivalent to _pom_. Beautiful is just a fraction. Am I rambling?"

While he was staring at her in awe, Rose was staring at him as if he'd lost his sanity. "Rambling? Is there a word stronger than rambling?"

"Sorry." He glanced down and grabbed his jacket, in a sudden hurry for the clear embarrassment to leave his face. "Shall we go?"

"Doctor, wait." Rose ran up to him, brought herself up to her full height and gave him a warm kiss on his stubbly cheek. His brown eyes glazed over as he looked down at her. "Thanks," she said.

"Anytime," he replied, baffled.

The cold air stung Rose's face as she stepped outside the blue box. A dusting of frosted snow was sprinkled like sand across the cobbled pavement stones, which dazzled like individual diamonds under the unearthly orange glow of the old streetlamps. Rose had been in the 1800s before, but her appreciation for the era didn't wane with every adventure. In her mind she was transported back to the first time she had stepped out to snow in Cardiff to find Charles Dickens and mysterious ghosts that weren't ghosts.

"Ah! Smell that! The smell of London in 1809," the Doctor exclaimed, his voice too loud for the quiet setting of the peaceful street. "Georgian London. Ready to burst into life."

"Are we here for a history lesson or did the TARDIS land here for a particular reason?"

"Oh, she always lands for a reason, Rose!" He bent down to his knees and picked up a handful of snow. "For a start, this snow looks real to me. Can you believe it! Real snow. Nice snow. Normal snow."

"Nice snow?" Rose echoed, amused. "Is there such a thing as evil snow?"

The Doctor gave a fleeting frown. "Well, just because I haven't seen it yet doesn't mean it doesn't exist." He stood up and brushed himself down, grinning at her as he did so. "Can you imagine snowmen if there _was_ evil snow? Hah, that would be a sight!"

"We've met evil Santa's before, so I think anything's a possibility." Rose took his arm and mischievously nudged him. "We've got an all clear on the snow. An all clear on the location. Everything seems pretty safe to me."

As if on cue, from the interior of a house further down the street – the only house in the surrounding area still alight in the night – erupted an eerie and piercing scream like no other Rose had ever heard.

The Doctor looked at her. Rose looked at the Doctor.

"Must you always speak too soon?" he asked her with a glint in his eye.

Without another word, they ran hand in hand over the slippery snow to the house which was alive with commotion.


	6. A Case Unsolved

A/N: Warning – this chapter may be slightly disturbing or creepy to some readers. This fic is rated T for a reason, remember. I have a more detailed note at the end, but for now, I'm just going to warn you (I found some of this scary to write) from now on, you have been warned, this adventure is a creepy one. I've never written this kind of thing before, but I try to keep it as mild as I can.

Chapter Six: A Case Unsolved

The Doctor and Rose rapped their fists against the polished black door as hard as they could manage. The Doctor counted exactly five beats before the frame was opened and an old man dressed as a butler greeted their urgencies.

"You know we have a door knocker," the old man said stiffly. His beady eyes were judging their appearance in a single swoop. Rose's eyes strayed towards the brass lion on the black wood and shrugged.

The Doctor grimaced. "Yes, very observant of you but we heard screaming and we're here to help."

The butler narrowed his gaze and raised himself to stand taller. His clothes were far too big for him and his face was thin and gaunt. What hair he had left was smoothed across his shiny bald head and his cufflinks were set with fake diamonds. All of these observations the Doctor swept to the side in case they were needed later.

"The only person who can help us now, kind sir, is the Veiled Detective," the butler answered accordingly. "Since I see neither of you wearing a black veil, I assume your assistance is not required."

"The Veiled what?" the Doctor asked. He put his hand on the threshold so the butler couldn't shut the door in his face.

"The Veiled Detective, of course. Everyone in London knows of the Veiled Detective," he said with an air of arrogance. When he noticed the Doctor and Rose staring blankly back at him, he gave an impatient sigh. "The Veiled Detective and her accomplices solve mysteries that are… unusual, to say the least. Some think it is a story made up to fool children. The wiser of us know it is true. We all know one thing: only the privileged have worked with her and no one has ever peered under that veil."

Rose felt a shiver pour down her spine at his words. The Doctor was less impressed; he rubbed the back of his neck and appeared to be completely disinterested. "Right, a mystery who solves mysteries. _Very Sherlock Holmes_." He raised his hand in a triumphant gesture and placed foot in the threshold so he was slowly making his way in. "But, Mr Butler, I think you'll find Rose and I are ten times better than _the Veiled Detective_. We are the unveiled detectives, actually. See – hello!"

The Doctor gave him his best cheerful grin. When the butler shot him an incredulous look back, the Doctor nudged Rose to do the same. She obliged, reluctantly, and grinned madly at the butler. The old man took a few steps back, more than a little wary of his guests.

"You're looking for the Veiled Detective who solves mysterious and unusual occurrences, suggesting that there is a strange and unusual occurrence happening right behind you." The Doctor pointed to Rose and back again. "We are experts in everything unusual. We can help."

Just as the old man opened his mouth, a haughty female voice sounded from right behind him.

"Let them in, Waters. It's cold outside, or haven't you noticed?"

Waters was completely taken aback. The Doctor patted the old man on the shoulder and let Rose walk in before him. She smiled, almost apologetically, at the butler and made her way into the lovely warm hall.

Everything was cream and gold and trimmed in white. The lavish ceiling was decorated with gold foil flowers and the large chandelier was crystal clear and glittering like snow. Mahogany furniture furnished the hall, and Rose could see it matched the table in the dining room as well. There was a strong smell of lavender floating through the rooms. It was too strong for Rose's nostrils and she found herself hiding a sneeze behind her hand. But apart from the potent scent, the house looked absolutely marvellous.

A tall woman wearing a black and white flowery dress greeted Rose and the Doctor with a small smile. Waters the butler closed the door quietly behind him before excusing himself to the living room. No one paid him any attention, especially not the intimidating woman blocking the hallway.

"I am Lady Carson," she announced. Her tone was hard but soft, stiff and flexible, low yet high.

"Splendid," the Doctor mocked, but only so Rose would notice. "I am Doctor Smith and this is my humble partner Miss Rose."

Lady Carson ignored his pleasantries. "You said you could help," she confirmed.

"That we can, free of charge," the Doctor said happily.

Rose was trying to warm her cold hands together. "But a cup of tea would be nice," she added.

Lady Carson bowed her head. "Waters!" she called into the living room. "See that Doctor Smith and Miss Rose have a steaming cup of tea." On a lower note, she added to them, "I hope you don't mind lavender tea. It's the only tea we have."

Rose frowned. Not only was the potent smell of lavender floating throw the entire house making her a little dizzy, but the thought of drinking the stuff made Rose cringe. Was lavender a drug now? Lady Carson seemed addicted.

Lady Carson beckoned the Doctor and Rose into the wide living room. An exquisite fire warmed the cold walls, crackling against the wooden logs and producing exaggerated shadows onto the carpet. On a cream sofa beside the bay window sat a girl around the age of eighteen, Rose reckoned. She was in hysterics – crying, shaking, and her eyes wide and glassy. Rose immediately went to help her. She sat on the sofa beside the girl and placed a cautious hand on her wrist. The girl jumped at her touch.

"Are you okay? What's your name?" Rose asked softly. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

For some reason, Rose's words didn't help matters at all. The girl looked up at her as if Rose was her worst nightmare, and then started to shake more violently than before.

Backtracking, Rose apologised, "Oh, no I didn't mean to scare you. We can help, I promise."

When the girl shuffled a few inches away from Rose, she felt a little let down. Lady Carson turned to the Doctor with a face that was quite impassive to anything.

"Young Elizabeth here, well… She's been having trouble sleeping, to say the least."

The Doctor frowned and raised his eyebrows. "I'm surprised she's not called Lavender," he muttered to himself. He followed Rose to the sofa and kneeled in front of Elizabeth. The girl was clearly distressed and showing all the signs of being shock induced. A hundred million explanations jumped to the Doctor's mind.

"Elizabeth," the Doctor started, his tone gentle. Rose glanced over at him. He was great with helping people, all of the time, without asking anything in return. The way his brown eyes softened as he looked at the girl, and the slight frown on his lips made an incredible surge of adoration rush over Rose in that moment. She could feel her cheeks blush and shook the feeling away. The Doctor continued, "Have you been having nightmares? Is that what's been frightening you, Elizabeth?"

The girl shook her head and said nothing. The Doctor's eyebrows pulled together as he looked towards Rose.

"What's wrong, Elizabeth?" Rose questioned. "What's been troubling your sleep, huh?"

Lady Carson took a tentative step forward. "She won't speak since she arrived here. Not a word. She doesn't sleep, she hardly eats."

"Was she fine before?"

"To my knowledge."

"Where did she come from?" input Rose. "When did she arrive?"

Waters the butler interrupted their conversation with clattering porcelain teacups as he carried in their lavender tea on top of a silver tray. He soundlessly handed Rose a steaming cup first, which she accepted gratefully, despite wrinkling her nose at the scent. Not only did it look like a mug full of watery mud, but it smelt like soil mixed with a touch of those violet sweets Rose used to eat when she was little. The Doctor, who had probably tasted worst things in his life, thanked the butler for his trouble and took the littlest of sips as to not be rude. Rose felt like congratulating him for being so brave.

"She is the daughter of a friend of mine. I said I would look after her until he returns from his visit to Africa," Lady Carson explained.

"An only child?" Rose asked.

Lady Carson frowned, eyeing Rose almost suspiciously. "An older brother who is now a lawyer in London. Is it important?"

"No, I just thought maybe Elizabeth was feeling a little bit out her depth. You know, with her father and brother gone and moved into a strange house. It would make anyone… edgy."

Waters stood to the side. He let a long low breath escape through his lips. "Not to mention the murders," he said lightly.

"What?!"

To their own amusement Rose and the Doctor asked the same question in synchronisation.

Lady Carson shot Waters a reinforced look of trepidation. The butler resolutely ignored and turned his attention to their guests.

"Surely you have heard of the mysterious murders throughout London town?"

"We've been away," the Doctor answered quickly. "Just got back this morning. You were saying?"

In a high tittering voice, Lady Carson interrupted, "Not in front of Elizabeth, Waters! How many times do I have to tell you? The girl is delicate as it is."

"If I may be so bold, Lady Carson," Waters responded fiercely. "Perhaps it would ease Elizabeth's nerves for us to tell her the truth. It does no good sheltering children from the stark reality of everyday life."

Rose settled her hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "Is that what you want, Elizabeth?" she asked. "To hear the truth?"

But Elizabeth did not appear to be listening. She was staring at the space in between Lady Carson and Waters, her vision completely clouded over, as if she was lost in an all-too real daydream. Rose looked to the Doctor, who was turned away, trying to figure out the butler and the mistress. She tightened her hold on the girl. Elizabeth shuddered and met Rose's eyes. They were wide and imploring, asking Rose to understand through silent communication.

_ What is it? _Rose mouthed without a whisper.

Lady Carson's thin lips were pulled into a pout. All of a sudden roles were reversed, and Lady Carson was the one obeying Waters, who started to take the lead.

"It started six months ago," he explained, "when a woman was found dead in the heart of London. The next month it was a man. The month after, a woman. One murder a month – three men, three women. All the victims were found in the same place, on the same date and in exactly the same state."

"And that was…?" the Doctor edged.

Waters grimaced; a set frown on his lips, a haunted glare in his beady eyes.

"With their hearts missing."

Rose couldn't help but jerk back in disgust. Her eyes were wide as they met with the Doctor, and her hand slowly rested on her own chest, over her own heart, as she tried to come to terms with the stark reality.

"What else do you know, Waters? Do the police have any leads or evidence?" the Doctor demanded.

Waters shook his head. "No. It's clean case, Doctor. No evidence. No suspects. Only heightened security to let everyone know that the threat is real and true."

"It is being called the case of The Heartless Murders," Lady Carson added with clear distaste.

"Has there been another victim this month?"

"No," answered Lady Carson quickly. "But the whole town is holding its breath."

The Doctor raised himself off the floor, hands in pockets, head straight. Rose watched his every move while also keeping an eye on the silent Elizabeth. Her hands settled around the cooling cup of tea to find a source of comfort.

"Every month, every twenty-fourth day, all of London hides away inside their homes," said Waters, his voice lowering an octave. His beady eyes washed over the Doctor, searching for a reaction.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "And what date is it today?" On a lighter note, he added, "Sorry, we lost track of time when we were away. In Hull. Feels like a completely different country."

Lady Carson gestured for Waters to hand her the abandoned newspaper sitting on the mahogany dresser. She unfolded it and gave it to the Doctor who immediately fixed his gaze onto the top right hand side.

The date read: _Thursday, 22__nd__ of December 1809._

* * *

Note: New characters – I love new characters. Just a little warning, don't get too attached to anyone in this story. I'm starting to find it difficult to plan really good gripping plotlines – between this story and _The Companion Who Never Was_, I have written around nine or ten episodes on my own with completely different story lines and characters each time. Considering a regular series contains thirteen episodes, it looks like I'm almost beating Moffat. But this doesn't mean this story is going to go down hill, oh no! If you have a suggestion for a plot idea, just give me a wee message or review and I'll see what I can do. Concerning 'The Veiled Detective' reference, it was only ever said (to my knowledge) that Vastra, Jenny and Strax lived in the nineteenth century, but no specific date. Correct me if I'm wrong. I hate using this excuse but: wibbly wobbly, timey wimey. It's about to get scarier, so drop me a review and tell me what you think!


	7. Ribbons and Reality

A/N: I'm going to try and update more quickly between now and starting university, so the more you review, the more I will update! This is going to get really good, so prepare yourselves.

Chapter Seven: Ribbons and Reality

The Doctor stared at the unforgiving ink. A surge of adrenaline seasoned with a tiny trickle of fear poured over him. Two days to prevent the crime from happening. Two days to save the next victim. Two days to figure out a major investigation.

"What is it? Doctor?"

He turned around at Rose's question with that familiar gleam in his eye. "Two things, really," he announced, holding up the paper to show Rose. "One, we've really left it late to do some Christmas shopping, Rose. And two, we have two days to solve this murder mystery before the attacker strikes again."

Before she could respond, Lady Carson interrupted. "Wait, Doctor Smith, you aren't thinking about inquiring into this investigation by _yourself_, are you?"

"I have Rose. That's all I need." The Doctor shrugged and winked at Lady Carson. "We are the unveiled detectives. We can solve anything."

Waters raised his eyebrows and bent his head in respect. His tone, however, betrayed his true feelings. "With my sincerest congratulations to your bravery, Doctor, I wish to warn you. It does no good meddling in this business. Others who have meddled have found themselves lying on the ground with their hearts missing, just like the ones they investigated."

The Doctor snorted and leaned back in his converse, piercing Waters with a challenging glare. "It doesn't scare me, Waters. I've faced a lot worse and I'm likely to face far bigger threats in the future."

Waters gave a one-sided frown, as if he was considering the Doctor's words. "Yes," he seemingly agreed, "but would you feel the same, I wonder, if it was Miss Rose who received the consequences?"

Stalemate. The Doctor shuffled uncomfortably with no words to speak. It really did look as if he was considering Waters' words for a moment, until Rose decided to give her own opinion.

"Uh, never mind me. I've faced far worse as well. I can handle myself, thank you very much Mister Waters," she snapped. "This is obviously a serious case, and if the police can't help people, then we will. Whoever it is out there, or whatever it is, stands no chance against us. Alright?"

Waters nodded in acknowledgement and took a step backwards, his head still bowed. Very simply, he said, "Then I pray for you."

Rose blatantly ignored him. She looked towards Elizabeth, the frightened girl who was shaking in her arms; she was staring at Rose with wide eyes full of meaning. But Rose did not understand. Did the girl know something? Had she seen something? Or was it to do with something completely unrelated?

"Waters, can you escort Elizabeth to her quarters? Give her some lavender syrup on your way there; see if it helps relax her nerves." Lady Carson sighed, she moved to the side so that she was standing in the shadows of the fireplace. "It hasn't helped yet, but I still hold hope."

Raising a persistent hand, Rose helped Elizabeth to her feet and wrapped a protective arm around her waist. "I'll take her, it's no trouble." Before Waters or Lady Carson had a chance to argue, Rose dragged Elizabeth to the threshold, wary that the Doctor eyes lingered on her back. Elizabeth led the way with soft footsteps to the staircase, as if she was going to fall through the very floor she walked on.

She waited until they were at the top of the stairs before starting the conversation.

"Elizabeth, can you talk to me? What is it you want me to know?"

The girl shook her hand and gripped Rose's hand, not allowing herself to speak.

"Do you know something about what we were saying downstairs?"

She didn't respond.

"You've got to help me a little bit here, Elizabeth. I'm trying to help. You can trust me, come on."

Elizabeth led Rose to her bedroom. The door creaked open to reveal a mahogany four poster bed with silk cream curtains. A built-in wardrobe took up the majority of the biggest left wall, whilst on the right side stood a large chest of drawers. Elizabeth made sure the door was closed tightly behind her before she crept over to the chest of drawer and pulled out a tightly bound diary, wrapped in strips of pale pink ribbon.

"What's that?"

She held it out for Rose to take, clearly saying _open it. _

Rose reluctantly accepted the bundle of Elizabeth's secrets. With jittery fingers, she gradually unfolded the ribbons and revealed the front cover. It was a smoky black with a silver heart shaped lock imprinted onto the leather. Rose's fingers brushed against the surface; it felt old and worn. Like it had passed through many hands. The bound book crackled as Rose flipped over to the front page. Messy writing greeted her.

_ Property of Jonathan Primrose_

_ With love, from Alice. _

Staring at the inscription, Rose looked up to Elizabeth. "Did this belong to your father?"

The girl nodded. She pointed to the name '_Alice'_ and tapped two times.

"Your mother?"

Another nod.

Rose flipped to the next page. This is where the diary started. On the left hand side of the book was a drawing and on the right was a written paragraph told in a different scribble from the inscription. The letters were longer and refused to follow the guide of the printed lines. It was incoherent, thoughts illustrated on paper, straight from the sight of a busy mind.

"Did he give you this before he left?"

Elizabeth nodded again, but used her index finger to move from side to side. _Keep going_, she was saying, _flick through the pages_.

Rose did as she was instructed until Elizabeth gestured for her to stop. On the top right of the section was the date: _22__nd__ of June, 1809_. A picture accompanied a writing of paragraph, just like all previous pages. Splotches on the drawing indicated that the fountain pen was being held by a firm and hurried hand. Rose could barely make out what the picture was showing, but it appeared to be something similar to a shooting star.

Her eyes skimmed over the writing: _I noted a strange occurrence last night_, it said. _A shooting star like no other fell across the sky. It was gone within a second, but I have been unable to remove it from my mind's eye ever since. It was the colour of luminous green like no other I have seen before. I would ask others if they had seen it too, but of course, they would all ignore my ramblings like always. London is not the place for a mind like mine. My knowledge upsets people. There was only one person who had the time for my insight; I married her, and then I lost her. Now I count down the days until my trip to Africa. _

There was a large gap in the writing between the final sentence and the rest of the paragraph. Rose reread it a few times, trying to form a picture of the man who was writing. The sentence structure and the layout on the page made it difficult to understand. It was the date and the detail of the shooting star which left Rose with an after thought. Six months since the first victim of these murders, very nearly turning into the seventh. If Rose counted back correctly, that means this shooting star was seen two days before the first attack. Exactly seven months ago.

Surely this meant something.

Rose jumped to her feet as this new piece of information settled in her mind. She closed the book and handed it back to Elizabeth. "Have you told this to Lady Carson or anyone else?" Rose demanded.

Elizabeth shook her head urgently and held out her other hand, flipping it up and down.

Rose interpreted this signal to mean _you can't tell them._

"Don't worry, Elizabeth, I won't tell them. I think you've just given me and the Doctor something major to investigate."

In a hurry, Rose squeezed Elizabeth around the shoulders, reassuring and thanking her for confiding in her, before she ran to the door. She paused before she disappeared through the threshold, turning back to Elizabeth.

"We'll come back to visit," Rose promised. "Check in to see how you're doing."

But as Rose shut the door behind her, Elizabeth emitted a frustrated sigh. She fell back on her bed, still clutching her father's notebook, angry at herself and at Rose who had not waited to hear the full story.

Rose had interpreted wrongly. What she thought was Elizabeth trying to swear her into secrecy from Lady Carson, was Elizabeth actually trying to say that there was much more her father had known and predicted, and there was a reason why he hurried off to Africa a few months early.

* * *

When Rose reached the bottom of the stairs, still feeling the rush of excitement at the recent discovery, the Doctor was waiting for her, making polite conversation with a rather forceful Lady Carson.

"There are many detectives on this case, Doctor. All of London is on red alert."

"We will be fine, Lady Carson, I promise you."

"Nothing I can say will change your mind?"

"Afraid not."

"Then you are welcome back anytime. Let us know how you are doing."

The Doctor looked towards Rose, a gigantic grin spreading across his face. "Miss Rose, are we ready to leave?"

"We certainly are, Doctor Smith," Rose confirmed. "Thank you for your hospitality, Lady Carson."

The Lady of the house guided them to the door and bid them a safe farewell. As soon as the door clicked closed, the Doctor took Rose's arm and helped her down the steps. He could feel her bare arm shivering against the snowy cold air. Rose waited until they were at a distance from the house before whispering her findings to the Doctor.

"A shooting star?" he echoed. "A green shooting star? That sounds… almost _too_ coincidental."

Rose frowned, a little let down by his reaction. "So you don't think it's related?"

The Doctor shrugged while making a 'humph' noise. "Maybe something followed it here. Maybe this was all planned. Do you know what I think?"

Smirking, Rose leaned into his warmth. "What do you think?"

"I think we should visit the place where it all began six months ago. According to the newspaper, it's a place called Justice Street."

"Do you know where it is?"

"Should do. We can catch a late night carriage."

* * *

After searching for half an hour to find a suitable carriage and driver who would travel anywhere near the infamous Justice Street, Rose and the Doctor were now walking as quietly as they could towards their destination. It was a dark and dingy part of town; with hardly any street lamps and tall houses which appeared to be derelict. The street was completely deserted, as far as Rose's eyes could see. The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and started whizzing it about in the air, following some sort of signal.

It led them to a small alleyway, the darkest shadowy blot on the street. A street lamp stood next to it but was obviously not working. Just as Rose and the Doctor took a single step forward, a cold voice slithered out from inside.

"Do not take one more step."

The Doctor glanced down at Rose, his expression mirroring hers – alert, eyes wide and mouth gaping. In a split second his expression turned to one of fierce curiosity.

"And who are you?" he asked rather calmly.

"I could ask you the same question," the crystal clear voice said. It was definitely feminine, Rose decided.

"Ah, but I don't have an answer," the Doctor retorted. "Why don't you show us your face?"

There was a few taps of heels on concrete. Rose narrowed her eyes to catch a glimpse of the figure still partly covered by shadows. She noted the outline of a tall woman, dressed in all black, with a net veil covering her face.

Rose gasped. "Are you the Veiled Detective?"

There was a _tut_ in the darkness. "Do you really have to ask?" She made another step closer to the Doctor and Rose. It was unnerving, staring into a figure with no face. On a more sinister note, the woman questioned, "But who are you? It is rather suspicious to be wandering around the area of so many murders when no one has dared to enter Justice Street in weeks."

The Doctor frowned, hands in his pockets and one of them secretly holding the sonic screwdriver. "The same could be said for a woman detective in 1809 who refuses to show her face."

She chuckled at that. "Do I know you, sir?"

Snorting, the Doctor said, "I really do doubt it. But I hear you are the best detective in London town for solving… unusual, mysteries. I can't help but wonder who exactly you are and how you came to be here. You're clearly out of your time, don't you think Rose? Not only did my sonic pick up residual energy of the numerous murders, but it also recognised energy of the time vortex. Meaning… you _really_ are a mystery."

The Veiled Detective took a long moment to respond. Rose could not see the face under her veil, but she guessed that she was smiling. The next time she spoke, there was lightness in her voice.

"By sonic, do you mean your sonic screwdriver?"

She took the Doctor's baffled and bemused expression as confirmation.

"Yes," the woman said, "how did I not see it before? Charging into a dangerous area to investigate an unsolved case, accompanied by a pretty young companion. I know exactly who you are, Doctor."

"Wait, how do you know him?" Rose demanded. She felt the Doctor's hand brush against her arm, but she ignored him.

The Veiled Detective walked around Rose, so that she and the Doctor followed her footsteps. She stood beside the broken street light and looked back at both of them.

"Time travel, my dear. An unpredictable adventure. Sometimes you meet people before you should." She paused and bowed her head in the direction of the Doctor. "I will let you take charge of this case, Doctor. Unless you decide to ask for my help."

The woman turned to walk away, calling behind her, "I look forward until the next time. And for you, Doctor, I'm sure you will look forward to the first. Good luck."

The Doctor met Rose's gaze, and she was confused by his expression. He spun around; calling out, "Wait!" But the mysterious woman was already gone. His shoulders slumped, defeated a little bit disappointed. Rose was aware of how he was staring at her and _why_ he was as well.

Breaking the silence, Rose stated, "She knew you."

"Yes."

"But she didn't know me."

And that was the hard, cold truth which chilled her heart more than any snowflake ever could. His haunting silence added to the despair, until Rose found herself blinking away frustrated tears.

"She's from _your_ future," Rose said with emphasis.

He grabbed her shoulders at that and forced her to meet his eyes. His gorgeous, sincere and ancient eyes. "She recognised me by my sonic, Rose, not by my face. It's probably a different version of me, from a hundred years in the future. It doesn't mean anything."

But it did. It meant everything. Not only to Rose, but to the Doctor as well. It made their current situation a stark reality, darker than the darkest shadow in the pitch black alleyway. It told Rose a million things at once; the Doctor would one day lose her, he would continue on, he would travel, he would meet new people, have new friends, other companions, ones he might even fall in –

To the Doctor, it only had one meaning. He was destined to lose Rose; he had always been destined to lose Rose, in one way or the other. If it was back at Torchwood One or in fifty years from now, he was going to live with the sorrow of losing someone like Rose, someone he – But why should he say it? He would move on, like he always did, so what is the point of admitting how he felt when it was just going to be torn from him one day?

So, as usual, neither one of them said anything. Their words went unsaid, their feelings thrown into the far corner of their problems, so they could focus on doing what they did best: solving mysteries and selflessly saving people.

And ignoring all the signs that everything in the universe was trying to split them up.

* * *

A/N: I'm not happy with this chapter, I couldn't seem to get the wording right. But here you go, a day early because of all of your lovely reviews! I hope you liked the little Vastra cameo. In the next chapter, the action really begins. So, drop a little review and tell me what you think! I don't know if this is still interesting or if you're enjoying it unless you tell me. Also, if you'd like, I have a tumblr account: farflunghopesanddreams if you wish to follow. Thank you!


	8. In The Headlines

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Seamus Heaney, the famous and most influential Irish poet and playwright since W.B. Yeats. Seamus Heaney died on Friday, and he has been a personal inspiration to me and many others; from studying him through school and now going to a university with an English department dedicated to him, it's true to say he will always be a legend.

Chapter Eight: In The Headlines

The electric blue light from the sonic screwdriver not only gave the Doctor a way to see through the darkness, but also helped him form an outline of what they were up against. It was hanging on the air, a different kind of residual energy than the Doctor had ever come across, one that definitely could not be picked up with Georgian technology and techniques. He followed it to the very corner of the alleyway, to a patch of ground no different to the rest of the cobbled street. Letting his hand drop, the Doctor tentatively stood on section. He bounced once. Bounced twice, and then looked towards a rather curious Rose.

"What is it? Have you found something?"

The Doctor looked back at the square patch the sonic screwdriver had detected. "I'm not sure – seems to be some sort of foreign fuel source. Not actual fuel, but the remnants. If you concentrate _really_ carefully, you might be able to smell it on the air."

Rose gave a loud sniff. It was only then she noticed it; a faint metallic scent that stung her nostrils and made her eyes water. The closest smell she could compare it to was rusty iron tinted with something deeper, something muskier like coal. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Squatting, the Doctor pressed a single fingertip onto the cold ground. There was no snow in this part of Justice Street. Once again he removed his sonic and switched it to a different setting.

"I wonder if…"

The ground in the alleyway started to rumble. Rose leaned back against the outer wall and the Doctor jumped away from the square patch. It sunk in on itself, reminiscent of quicksand, and expanded to around a metre in length. In a swirl of movement and the loudest rumble yet, the liquid cement moulded into steps, leading down into the unknown. The rumbling stopped as the entry solidified and in an instant, the Doctor was by Rose's side, an excited grin spread across his face.

"A secret entrance," the Doctor whispered, keeping in tone with the new discovery, "stereotypical yet strangely satisfying."

"I'm not going to lie," Rose replied, a smile tugging at her lips, "that _was_ impressive."

The Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her forward, but stopped in his tracks before starting down the stairs. He looked sideways up at her, his eyebrows pulling together and his shoulders slightly slouching.

Rose knew that face – it was the Doctor's 'should I or should I not bring Rose with me' face. She already had the argument on the tip of her tongue.

"The thing is," she started, "you can tell me it's too dangerous for me to go with you and leave me here. In the scene of so many murders. Where I'm likely to wonder off and follow you anyway. Or, you can trust me to go with you, down into the mysterious and creepy underground cave where we can look out for each other. Your choice."

The Doctor shot her a sulky frown but grabbed her hand tighter than before. He didn't even attempt to consider it. "Come on, then."

As they stepped into the deeper darkness, the thickness of the air changed. Not only did the metallic sting intensify but it felt cold and damp in Rose's lungs. The Doctor was using his sonic as a torch while also keeping an eye out for danger. Rose squinted to see if it would clear her vision. She could only make out shadowy outlines of shelves when they reached the bottom of the stairs, and something like a desk close to them. In a whispery voice, the Doctor broke the silence.

"Rose, I think we should go back."

Rose glanced over to him, but could no longer see his face. "Doctor, we found a secret dungeon on the scene of the murders. We'd be crazy to turn back now."

He remained silent and adamant. Using the sonic, he directed them over to the main light stand. The stiff wheel gave an eerie squeak as he twisted it. The oil ignited and the room was suspended into a sudden and hazy lamplight.

Rose couldn't help the noise of horror which escaped from her throat.

The large dungeon was lined with shelves. Some were holding bottles of brightly coloured liquid; colours ranging from luminous pink to luminous blue. Others were holding jars, full of green sludge and weird dead insects. But the main display, on the smallest shelf furthest away from the Doctor and Rose, was showcasing six glass boxes containing six human hearts.

"Doctor, please tell me –"

"I can't lie to you, Rose. They're real. I'm sorry."

Rose had seen many things, horrible things, but sights like this still managed to shock her. She reckoned it would've taken the Doctor the best part of his nine hundred years to come to terms with mysteries like these, or perhaps he witnessed something so horrible that it put everything else into perspective. She would have to ask him one day, especially if she was going to travel with him for the rest of her life.

As he walked over to inspect some abandoned documents scattered on the table, Rose's gaze was fixed on the actual walls. They were coated in something, a smell which was mostly being masked by the tangy metal but stung her nostrils all the same. The pale lilac strands triggered a memory –

"Rose, come here and look at this."

Newspaper headlines covered the top of the table like an art collage. Names featuring within the articles were highlighted, circled and underlined in a deep black ink. The only problem was, they were all incoherently placed, making it almost impossible, unless you had a considerate amount of patience, to distinguish between what headlines belonged to what article and what name was more important to another. The Doctor pointed to the names with one hand while scratching the back of his neck with the other.

"These names, here," the Doctor told her, gesturing across the newspapers. There was around a dozen in total. "Six of them are the victims. And five out of six of them are on that shelf over there."

Rose couldn't help but flick her gaze over to the six glass containers on the far wall. A shiver ran down her spine. "Five out of six?"

"The first murder would've been completely unrelated. The other five were murdered because of their investigations into the first investigation. These newspapers are proof alone; twelve names, six victims. It's only a matter of time before all of these names are on that wall."

"So the name of the next victim for this month is somewhere here?"

"Yes. The only problem is distinguishing between the victims and the next targets. These articles aren't in the right order. Perhaps there's a pattern? Circled names for victims of the future, highlighted for association, maybe, underlined for past murders…"

Rose scanned the newspaper cuttings, not wanting to disrupt the Doctor's thinking. Judging by the amount of names in front of them – did Rose count twelve in total? – it was certainly going to give the Doctor and her some work to be getting on with in the next few hours.

But that was when something hit her: twelve. One murder a month. Twelve months. That meant –

"Doctor, there are twelve names here," Rose said, grabbing him by the arm and forcing him to meet her eyes.

He nodded, hand still scratching the back of his neck. "Yes, there is."

"One murder a month would make it a full year of murders. Exactly a year since the shooting star, exactly a year since this whole thing started," Rose explained, unable to hide her triumphant grin. "What if you're wrong – what if the name of the first victim is hidden in one of these articles, but for an unrelated reason, and this was all planned in advance?"

The Doctor's eyes widened until he resembled a rabbit in front of the headlights. He turned around and leaned against the desk, his lips pulled tight as he studied Rose.

"Rose Tyler, did you just make a deduction?"

Rose raised her eyebrows and copied his leaning position. Folding her arms and nudging him playfully, Rose teased, "I just think I did, Doctor Smith."

His face broke into an ecstatic smile. "Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Maybe this is more complicated than we first thought. Perhaps the murderer, whoever they are, chose the first victim because they featured in an important newspaper article and drew attention to themselves. That means all the twelve names that we need are right here."

"We should talk to someone who knows the names of all the victims," Rose suggested.

The Doctor nodded. "Let's go back to Lady Carson and Elizabeth." He rummaged in his pockets to remove a small notebook and a copper coloured pen covered in circular writing. He flipped over the first page and clicked the pen. "I'm going to take a note of all these names."

Rose unfolded her arms and turned around again to have one last glance at the newspaper articles. As she turned, a thin book flipped off the table and landed with a dull thud on the floor. She bent down to pick it up, careful of standing on her long dress. It had a light brown cover with a black title stating, 'The Bronte's.' As she held the small wooden chair next to her to help her up again, she also noticed a folded newspaper sitting on the seat.

It was dated for the day previously and folded open onto a page full of advertisements. But, to Rose's heightening curiosity, one of the small boxed advertisements was circled with the same black ink on the other newspaper articles.

Abandoning the Bronte book, Rose picked up the newspaper instead. The advertisement read:

_ 'Benjamin Primrose: Lawyer – 23-26 Forge Terrace, London.' _

Rose looked up at the Doctor, her mind whirling. He was scribbling notes onto his miniature notebook with his sexy brown glasses perched onto his nose. Rose was distracted for a few minutes. She wanted to continue watching him, with his deep brown eyes rereading over his curly writing, a single strand of brown hair straying across his forehead and the way his lips were perched open as he thought over what he'd just written.

"Rose? What's that? Have you found something?"

She was pushed back into reality with an ungrateful jolt out of her daydream. It took her a few seconds before she could remember what was so important.

"Yeah, sorry, I was just – um, here. I found this newspaper on the seat of the chair; look at the name and look at how it's circled."

The Doctor accepted it with a deep frown set on his face. "Benjamin Primrose. He's on the list, Rose. And this newspaper is dated from yesterday." He put it back on the seat of the chair and pocketed his notebook and pen. "Rose, I think we've just found our next target."

Rose shook her head and pulled the Doctor closer. He took her hand and held it tight. "Doctor, Elizabeth's last name was Primrose. Benjamin must be her brother, the Lawyer in London," Rose said urgently. "It has to be."

The Doctor stared at her through his glasses and she could see her own reflection dancing on the lenses.

"We can't let anything happen to Elizabeth's brother, Doctor," Rose fretted. "He's the only family she's got left in London."

"Of course not," he agreed. "Right, change of plan. Looks like we're going to 23 to 26 Forge Terrace. Let's hope we can find him in time."

The Doctor made sure everything was back in its place before carefully turning out the lamplight. As he and Rose crept back up the concrete stairs to the street above, the concrete melted back into its original form and filled the space to leave no trace it was ever there. But a figure stirred in the darkness, its heavy form reaching down to pick up the fallen book beneath the table and returning it to its usual spot amongst the clutter.

* * *

A/N: I dropped one or two major hints in this chapter. Let's see what more theories you can come up with. Two updates in the last few days, I know! I'd love you to drop a review and I'm going to give special mention to reviewers in Chapter Ten. Hope you enjoyed the read!


	9. Reaching Revelations

A/N: I sort of love Benjamin Primrose. Out of all the characters I've written, he's one of my favourite. You'll see why in the coming chapters. Reviews would really make me happy and also make me write faster! Thank you to all who have reviewed, you wonderful people!

Chapter Nine: Reaching Revelations

Forge Terrace was a quiet part of town. Located on the west end of greater London, it consisted of tall dark houses, mostly converted into business properties with shiny glass windows and black iron railings. The snow was thicker in this part of the city, which on the contrast, combined with brighter streetlamps, made the street more luminous. Benjamin Primrose's property was on the very edge of the street. It had two doors; the normal guest door, and a door below the railings at the bottom of little steps, traditionally used as a wine cellar. The Doctor guided Rose by the hand to the guest door. They shared a glance before Rose reached out her hand and rapped on the patent black wood.

Their answer was almost immediate. The door creaked open just a notch and only half a face was revealed.

"Who are you?" Benjamin demanded, using his door as a shield.

"It seems everyone's forgetting their pleasantries tonight," the Doctor commented to the side. On a different note, "I'm the Doctor and this is Rose. May we come in?"

He didn't even considerate it. "No," he said. "I'm closed. It's three o'clock in the morning."

"Benjamin," Rose whispered, "we're friends of Elizabeth. Your sister. We really need to talk to you."

From what she could see of Benjamin's face, it twisted into a concerned frown with his eyes drooping. He fumbled for a moment or two with the door knob and just as he was about to open it, he stopped in his tracks.

"How is she? Don't lie to me – I'll know when you're lying. No one can really trust anyone anymore. So how can I trust you?"

Rose, still holding onto the Doctor's hand, took another step towards him. "She showed me your father's diary. Would she do that to someone she didn't trust?"

"Shut up!" he hissed. He flung open his door and grabbed Rose by the arm to drag her inside. When the Doctor made a noise of protest, Benjamin hurriedly beckoned him in as well. "Get in! You'll draw attention to us."

He shut the door with a loud bang and locked it with a clear click. He stood against it for a few seconds, catching his breath as if he'd just been chased, with his eyes drawn to the carpet.

Benjamin was a tall young man, who could've been very handsome. His dark blonde hair was haggard with wispy curls falling over his shirt collar. His skin was pale, as if he hadn't seen the sun in quite a while, and he had purple shadows underneath his bloodshot brown eyes. Stubble covered his neck and as his hands held onto the door; Rose noticed they were shaking rather violently. His shirt wasn't tucked into his black trousers and the top buttons were open.

It didn't end there. Benjamin's house was wrecked as well. Empty crystal glasses were stacked on top of the furniture, holding remnants of gin. Sheets and yellow documents were scattered along the floor and the stairs, with a wooden cloak hanger fallen to the floor, the coats sprawled over the carpet. The umbrella stand beside the door didn't hold umbrellas – instead it held long shafts of wood and metal bars. Weapons in case of an attacker.

"Benjamin, are you alright?" Rose asked, tentatively. The Doctor shot her a wary look.

Benjamin leaned his head against the door and squeezed his eyes closed, as if he was trying to forget a particularly nasty dream. "What did she show you? In the diary. What did she show you?"

Rose hesitated. "The green shooting star in June," she said, "did he tell you about it?"

Benjamin gave her a single stiff nod. He took a deep breath and faced Rose and the Doctor, directing them into the living room on the left. They obliged, the Doctor leading the way into the dim room which held no light. Benjamin cleared the messy sofa by pushing all of the papers and plates onto the floor. He opened the cabinet beside the wooden globe only to find it empty. He slammed it shut and went over to the fireplace instead. He stared into the charcoaled remains before rubbing his eyes and shrugging.

"I seem to have no coal left," he told them, his eyes drifting over to the two photographs sitting on his fireplace. "I hope you don't mind sitting in the dark."

"Its fine!" the Doctor replied in a tone which was just a notch too happy. "We're fine in the dark, aren't we Rose? No need to trouble yourself over it, Benjamin. We just want a chat."

Benjamin nodded again, but this time absentmindedly. He traipsed towards the dark threshold, which Rose guessed was the kitchen, and dragged his feet as if they weighed more than he did. "I'll see if I can get you a drink," he muttered as he left.

The Doctor flopped down onto the sofa and leaned back with his hands behind his head. Rose gave a cautious glance towards the kitchen and tiptoed over to the fireplace to have a look at the photographs. The one on the right was of Elizabeth, Rose recognised, but she seemed to be a few years younger. The one on the left was of a man with a thick blonde beard, his arm supporting a woman with dark black hair as she buried her face into his chest. Rose guessed it was Jonathan and Alice Primrose, their father and mother.

She sat beside the Doctor just in time for Benjamin to return with three empty glasses and half a bottle of gin. He dropped them on top of the cabinet and popped open the bottle of gin. He poured three glasses up to the brim without spilling a drop, then he carefully handed two of them over to the Doctor. Benjamin sat on the dusty green armchair beside the sofa, one hand holding the bottle of gin and one holding the full glass. He placed the bottle on the ground beside him and downed half of the glass in a matter of seconds. The Doctor grimaced, giving Rose her own glass, and wrinkled up his nose at the smell of the contents in his own beverage.

"So," Benjamin started, his voice low and his head bowed, "my sister must have taken a liking to you… sorry, what was your name again?"

"Rose," she said quickly.

"She wouldn't show father's diary to just anyone unless she thought you could help."

The Doctor sat forward. His eyes squinted in the dark to get a better view of Benjamin. "Help who?"

Benjamin snorted. "Help me, probably. The next victim."

Rose couldn't help but let her mouth fall open. Her hand found the Doctor's and she squeezed it tight. "You mean… you know?"

He breathed out another sigh and placed his head in his hands, the glass of gin pressed against his forehead.

"Sorry, but Benjamin," the Doctor started, "when we were visiting Lady Carson today – rather by accident – she made it sound as if Elizabeth didn't know of the Heartless murders. So how would she know about you being the next target?"

"Just because Elizabeth doesn't speak, doesn't mean she's oblivious to what happens around her," Benjamin snapped. "Lady Carson thinks she is stupid. She's probably smarter than all of us put together. Father knew it. That's why he gave her the diary and not me."

"Why doesn't she speak?" Rose asked delicately.

Benjamin's eyes drifted towards the fireplace and the framed photographs. "She hasn't uttered a word to anyone since mother died two years ago. Apart from me. Only occasionally. But still, I was the only person she would confide in if she had no other choice."

The way he said it made Rose believe he was undoubtedly proud that Elizabeth chose to confide in him over anyone else. And with that, Rose decided she really liked Benjamin, despite his current state.

"My father's diary," Benjamin continued, as if he was eager to spill all now, "predicted what was going to happen, as soon as he noticed the green shooting star in the sky that night. He left for Africa a few months early because he knew he was a potential victim. He was proclaiming his knowledge to a world which had no interest, but yet, the wrong type of person was listening. He warned me before he left that I had to be careful. That's why he put Elizabeth in the care of Lady Carson and entrusted her with the diary. After all, who would the suspect? A silent girl, only eighteen or the oldest sibling, a successful business lawyer in London?"

"You think they're after the diary," the Doctor stated.

"I know they're after many things, and the diary is only one of them."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "What do you mean, Benjamin?"

"Whoever – or whatever it is, as my father would say – is after not only people who are interested and involved with the murders, but people who have been secretly investigating recent paranormal and extra-terrestrial happenings. My father was more outspoken about his theories, but some preferred to keep them hidden. It's as if the murderer is trying to cover up and silence anyone who comes close to revealing his identity."

"And that includes you because of your father," Rose put in.

Benjamin made no comment. He downed the remainder of his glass of gin and sat it on the arm of his armchair. "And that's why you have to leave," he announced, sitting on the edge of his chair. "Before you become associated with this case."

"Oh, I think it's far too late for us. We've only been here a few hours and we've practically announced our presence to whoever's watching by screaming into a loud speaker," said the Doctor, impassively.

Rose edged further towards Benjamin so he had no choice but to look at her. "Benjamin, we can help you. Let us help."

For the first time in the last few months, Benjamin's perception was cleared. He glanced around his darkened room; at the plates and papers and empty bottles of gin on the floor, and his ghostly reflection of a stranger in the mirror above the fireplace, and suddenly, he understood. All he needed was help and all he needed was to be free of the threat that his father had unintentionally put upon him. So, as he stared into the young face of this mysterious Rose and her mysterious Doctor, all he could do was hope that they really could help him and accepted their offer with a grateful, "Thank you."


	10. The Clues are in the Poetry

A/N: I wonder if any of you noticed the major revelation coming up? Let's see how up to scratch your poetry knowledge is. Many thanks to the wonderful reviewers, especially to those who have reviewed multiple times: DoctorPeeves, Sunsetsoccer, Guest, beccaspad, Zarelyn, shtoops, iheartblueconverse, Valerie E. Mackin, Naenae12 and GryffindorGrl97. This chapter is short, guys, but it has a lot of clues that I needed to prepare for the next chapter. By the end of the next chapter, you're all going to hate me a little bit. Actually, maybe more than a little bit.

Chapter Ten: The Clues are in the Poetry

Rose helped Benjamin as he tried to clean up. She collected all of the glasses she could find and dumped them in the kitchen while Benjamin piled up the scattered papers covering the carpet. Afterwards, she made him sit on the armchair as she found a hairbrush and started combing out his haggard hair. He was looking much better already. The Doctor was still sitting on the sofa staring into oblivion as he appeared to be deep in thought. However, now and again he would moodily glance over to Rose and Benjamin as she tried to help the young man fix himself up, and then look away again, a deeper frown on his face than before.

The sun was now above the horizon as Friday the 23rd of December came into life. Tomorrow, not only was Christmas Eve, but the day the murderer would strike again, and if their predictions were correct, whoever it was would be visiting Benjamin's doorstep.

Except, they wouldn't – what was it Waters had said? All of the victims were found on the same spot in Justice Street. In that little alleyway leading down into the secret dungeon department. So, for now, the next question for the Doctor was: why and how do the victims get to be there?

Perhaps the murderer is incapable of travel and it lures its victims to their own death. Maybe it uses some hypnotic spell and knows it can control the evidence in a small little alleyway on an abandoned street, rather than searching to find the victim. But then, why was Benjamin's house circled in the newspaper? They were missing something; something big.

"Benjamin," the Doctor announced to the room. "You've investigated these murders, haven't you?"

He looked up from watching Rose in the mirror. "Yes, I have. I needed to. I wanted to know what kind of person – or thing – was coming after me next."

"So you're not, like, scared that it mightn't be human or anything?" Rose asked, looking down at him.

He shook his head. "Not at all. My father was Jonathan Primrose, the man who practically lived and breathed anything extraordinary. I grew up with bedtime stories involving extra-terrestrials and the idea of time travel. It became the norm."

The Doctor smirked and caught Rose's eye. She was beaming at him, sticking her tongue out teasingly. The Doctor responded with a wink, but lowered his voice as he asked a more serious question. "What did you find about how all the killings came to be in Justice Street? Surely there was something."

"There wasn't much to go on. My father was the only person who suggested they were lured to the location. Seen something they just had to follow. As if a powerful spell had been cast upon them."

Hmm. That caught the Doctor's attention. He envisaged the dungeon in his mind and searched the room for little details of some sort of mind control. He could see the shelves holding an assortment of jars, which in turn, held an assortment of horrible concoctions. Was that something similar to blood he could see? Also, that large glass of clear green liquid looked strangely familiar to something he had seen before; lardinour acid. A substance banned on some planets because it gives the user powerful hallucinations.

"Those jars we saw in the dungeon, Rose, what if they were ingredients? What if the murderer is using them to control the mind of the next victim? Leading them straight to Justice Street and straight to its lair like a moth to a light bulb!" the Doctor shouted out, in revelation. He turned to Benjamin and grinned. "Oh, you're dad was smart!"

Benjamin sat forward on his seat, his eyebrows pulled together. "What? What dungeon?"

"The Doctor and I – we found a secret dungeon type thing hidden in Justice Street, at the scene of the crimes," answered Rose. "It had shelves full of mysterious jars and a table with the names of all the victims, including the next ones. That's how we found you. If it wasn't for me dropping that Bronte book by accident, we would've been on a wild chase around London trying to guess who the next target would be."

The Doctor nodded, absentmindedly, his mind still searching for more details. But something Rose had said didn't make sense. His eyes widened and he jumped to his feet. He was over to Rose in an instant. "Bronte book? What Bronte book?"

Rose frowned, a little concerned by his reaction. "Back in the dungeon there was a Bronte book on the table and I accidentally knocked it over. When I went to pick it up again I noticed the newspaper circling Benjamin's name. Remember?"

"Yes, but you never mentioned a Bronte book!" the Doctor exclaimed. "What did it say, Rose? This is very important. What did it say?"

"It just said 'The Bronte's' and something about a selection of their poetry. It meant the Bronte sisters, right?"

The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand as the new revelation came to life. "Rose," he said, very slowly. "Charlotte Bronte, the oldest sister, isn't born until 1816. It's 1809, Rose. How could a book containing a selection of their poetry be in a dungeon in 1809 when they haven't even been born yet?"

"Oh," said Rose, quietly, but then her eyes widened as she realised what this meant. "Oh!"

She grabbed his arms as they hung onto each other, their faces mirroring the exact same expression.

"That means –"

"We've got a time traveller!"

As they both laughed in glee and joy, Benjamin stared at them incredulously, as if he had not witnessed something so incredibly weird. He spun around in his chair, his eyes flicking between the pair, trying to catch up with their conversation. Had they mentioned time travel? Something about poetry from 1816? Someone who hadn't been born yet?

"If I may interrupt," Benjamin began, raising his voice over the laughter. "What on earth are you talking about?"

While the Doctor stood, beaming, Rose let her smile drop as she leaned against the chair to get a better look at Benjamin. She bit her lip and narrowed her eyes and Benjamin found he couldn't look anywhere but into her face.

"We're sort of… time travellers," Rose explained, badly, "we are from the future. The twenty-first century, actually. Are you okay with that?"

Benjamin gaped. It was one thing for him to listen to his father's mad stories, but another for them to be true. Perhaps they were mocking him. But the more he thought about the pair, the more they didn't make sense and he found himself – against his own sanity – actually believing that is was possible. Benjamin stood up, his handsome face quizzical, only to find his legs failed him and he had to sit down again. When he next glanced at Rose, she was smiling, but in such a way that she was clearly amused and he couldn't help but stuttering out a response.

"Are you – are you… are you…" he couldn't think what to say. "Are you sure?"

Rose gave a delighted laugh while placing two supportive hands on both of his shoulders. "We're quite sure, yeah."

Benjamin sighed and rubbed his eyes. For his own sake, as he tried to come to terms with it, he asked, "How?"

"We have this big blue box which is bigger on the inside and it can take us anywhere in time and space," Rose told him, as if she was in awe, "imagine it, Benjamin. Anywhere."

He was now staring at the Doctor who was staring at Rose, and to him, it seemed the man didn't care as much as Rose about how their ship could travel 'anywhere' so long she was by his side. Benjamin had never seen someone more besotted than the man with no name.

"Not a bad life," said Benjamin. "Anywhere and anytime and you choose London in 1809?"

It was the Doctor's turn to step forward. "The TARDIS – that's our ship – chose the location for us. She must've wanted to help you and Elizabeth, Benjamin, because she landed on your sister's street."

Benjamin snorted. "On Lady Carson's street, you mean. Her house would never be a home to my sister. She's never been particularly fussed on Lady Carson."

"Why's that?"

"Probably because Lady Carson moved here two years ago, just before our mother died. When she and father became friends, I think Elizabeth thought Lady Carson wanted to be a replacement for our mother. It wasn't true, of course, but the resentment stayed."

That sparked a memory in Rose's mind. She spun around to face the Doctor, hands on hips and eyes narrowed. He immediately smiled when he recognised her 'deducting' face. "Lady Carson told us Elizabeth hadn't spoken since her father moved to Africa, but Benjamin here is saying she hasn't uttered a word since their mother died. Why would she lie?"

The Doctor raised his eyebrows; a little shocked he hadn't picked up on this sooner. "Good point, Rose. Very good point."

Just then a flicker of movement outside the living room window caught Benjamin's attention. As the Doctor and Rose muttered to each other, Benjamin went to look outside the window. A short and stocky little man in a blue metal suit with brown skin and a massive spherical head was wandering about outside holding some sort of flashing device. Benjamin jumped back in horror at the sight of such a creature. His hand grasped the curtain to keep himself from falling over.

"Benjamin, what is it?"

"Out there – there's a – _a thing_!"

Rose and the Doctor rushed over to the window. The little alien was now walking up the steps to Benjamin's house. Rose frowned and turned to the Doctor, her eyes scanning his face to judge his reaction. His face was twisted between a mixture of surprise and confusion with just a dash of fear.

Breaking the silence, the Doctor asked incredulously, "What the hell is a sontaran doing in 1809?"


	11. Strange Visitors

A/N: Umm… Eleven's the best. You'll cry your heart out. (Or wonder what the hell I just did and why I just did it.)

Chapter Eleven: Strange Visitors

There was a brief moment when everyone stopped to listen to the loud and heavy knocking on the door. The Doctor slowly peered at Rose, the same time she looked at him, and in synchronisation, they both shouted, "Stay here, Benjamin!" Before running to the threshold.

With one hand on the door knob and his vision trained on Rose, he warned, "Rose, get back. It's a sontaran."

Rose refused to listen. "But what's a sontarion-thingy doing in Georgian London?"

The Doctor frowned but there was a hint of mischief in his eyes. "Let's ask it, shall we?"

What the Doctor expected to happen – through his previous experiences of sontarans – was for the creature to point its weapon in their faces and immediately threaten for them to throw down their weapons. However, as the door swung open, the sontaran's eyes glazed over Rose and then landed on the Doctor, to which he placed a hand over his chest in some sort of military salute.

"Hello, sir," the sontaran greeted, almost pleasantly. "I have a letter for you."

The Doctor opened his mouth and then closed it again. His eyebrows were nearing his hairline. After a beat, he said, "Pardon?"

The sontaran gave him a disdainful look. "I have a letter for you," he repeated.

"Did you just call me 'sir?'" the Doctor demanded, as if he had been insulted.

"Yes, sir."

The Doctor looked at Rose, who was wearing the same expression as him. "Why would a sontaran call me sir?"

"You're the Doctor. What else would I call you?" the sontaran stated, shrugging. His beady eyes were glaring at the Doctor like he was stupid.

"You know me?"

"I'm from your future, sir. Strax, always at your service." As the sontaran said his name, he bowed his head in some sort of curtsy.

The Doctor's brown eyes grew hazy as he looked out into the road. "Another person from my future? Two people in one day, that's a record…"

"I think I've lost track of what's going on," said Rose, exasperated.

The Doctor stared at her, his face twisted into an expression of disgust. "What kind of a low point would I have to reach in my life to become friends with a potato?"

"Sir, if you don't mind, this is rather important," Strax interrupted.

Ignoring him, the Doctor continued, "I bet you thought you'd never hear me say that, Rose."

"Sir, permission to express my opposition to your current apathy!" hissed Strax.

That caught the Doctor's attention. He leaned against the doorframe, frowning, sizing up the sontaran who was now clearly annoyed. "Permission not granted," the Doctor snapped. "Now, what were you saying?"

"I was instructed to deliver this letter to you and the boy."

Rose took a step forward. "The boy?"

Strax paused. "Your human friend," he corrected.

The Doctor laughed. "She's not a boy, that's why I call her a 'she.' Well, I actually call her Rose," whispering to Rose, he added, "never discuss reproduction with a sontaran; they're easily confused."

Shaking her head in an attempt to clear it, Rose asked the sontaran, "Who's the letter from?"

Strax's face turned dark. His hand clasping the letter tightened before he held it up for the Doctor to take. In a voice avoidant of emotion, he said, "You currently know her as the Veiled Detective."

From the way he said it, the Doctor could tell that something was wrong. He gently accepted the letter from the sontaran, without looking down at it yet, since he was busy studying the alien standing in front of them. Was it normal for a sontaran to show… emotion? Saying that, Strax wasn't exactly showing a deep, sensitive reaction, but more of a lingering and un comfortable attachment to someone who seemed to be a close partner to him. "Why couldn't she give it to me herself?" the Doctor asked with a careful fingertip tracing the outline of the wax stamp.

Strax cleared his throat. "It is with my sincerest and deepest regret that I should inform you that earlier this morning, she was brutally murdered by an unknown attacker."

"What?!"

The Doctor's jaw nearly hit the ground. Strax was starting to get angry, irritated, as if he wanted to punch something now that he said the truth out loud. "That's not possible! I haven't even met her yet!" the Doctor protested.

"She predicted this would happen after she talked to you last night. I was in the stables, readying a horse and carriage to take us away, and when I came back the attacker had already left," snarled Strax, his right fist bundled into a frustrated ball. "She instructed me to deliver the letter she wrote for you earlier. Very important, she said; do not hesitate to use your grenades, pulveriser gun and a full frontal assault."

Frowning, the Doctor asked, "She really said that while she was dying?"

Strax paused. His beady eyes squinted, confused as he remembered, then smiling a little, he corrected, "She might've said 'use any method possible.'"

The Doctor glanced towards Rose. She nodded to his letter, and to her utter annoyance, he slipped it into his top pocket and out of her sight. She tried not to take it personally: perhaps he was saving to show it to her later? Perhaps he was keeping it safe, or so Benjamin wouldn't see it? But she couldn't help but think of the last time he had hidden something from her – the letter from Madam De Pompadour. Rose crossed her arms and broke their stare. Choosing to ignore him, she directed her attention to Strax. "Wait, if this was done by the same person or thing, then how did she instruct you to deliver the letter? All the other victims are usually found with their hearts missing."

"Not to mention, it's not the twenty-fourth day of the month," added the Doctor. Rose blatantly refused to look at him.

"This was different. Madame Vastra – that is to say the Veiled Detective – was stabbed by some sort of sword. I know my weapons, Doctor, and I know those of other people. This was done by no puny human."

With an awkward glance towards Rose, he backtracked, "Sorry, lad. I meant no offence."

Shrugging, Rose couldn't help but grin. The little talking potato man was quite amusing, after all. "As a puny human, I take no offence." Muttering, she whispered, "Especially not from Mr Potato Head: soldier edition."

The Doctor stepped to the side so that the doorway was free. "I think you better come in, Strax."

Giving his thanks, the sontaran stepped into the house with short and firm footsteps. Rose locked the door behind him. The Doctor led him into the living room, where Benjamin was still standing beside the window, his face a mask of pure horror as he laid eyes upon the small alien. It was about half his height but Benjamin found that he was so terrified, he couldn't move his legs. He held onto the curtain, afraid he would faint and not wanting to appear weak in front of his guests.

"Now, Benjamin, I don't want you to worry. This is Strax and he's our friend from the future," Rose told him, kindly.

"Friend? From the future?"

"He's an alien," the Doctor said bluntly. "And so am I, if we're being perfectly honest."

Rose walked over to Benjamin and soothingly stroked his arm. He met her eyes, looking for that spark of truth in her face. When he found it, he felt slightly calmer than before but thought this must be some big practical joke. Surely, this can't be real? It was too much, too soon. He needed some time to process it all. "Alien?" he asked Rose in confirmation.

"Alien," she agreed.

Unexpectedly, Rose reached up to hug him. His arms hung loosely around her waist and he stared past her shoulder to the alien and the Doctor (who was alien as well?) still baffled. Subconsciously he hugged Rose tighter, as if she was the only thing keeping him in the real world. When she eventually let go, he thanked her. He needed her support more than she knew, or perhaps even he knew. Everything was happening so quickly and Rose was taking the time to help him catch up to speed.

That was when he noticed the Doctor shooting him a curious stare. Was that envy in his eyes? No, it couldn't possibly be. What did the Doctor have to be jealous about when it came to him? Rose had literally just picked him up from the lowest point in his life.

Maybe that was just it. Rose. He didn't like competition. Benjamin almost laughed at the thought. Was the Doctor really that insecure about losing his friend?

"Now, Strax, do you think it was the same person who killed Vastra who also killed the other six victims?"

"Yes," Strax answered at once. "Madame Vastra had wounds similar to some of the earlier victims before the attacker became precise in his actions."

The Doctor nodded. "He attacked on a different day, used a different method and didn't lure her to Justice Street. Almost as if he was desperate to get her out of the way."

"Or maybe confused. He sounded confused to me," Rose offered.

"Why would he be confused? What is so different about Madame Vastra compared to the other victims?"

"Well," said Strax, a little reluctantly at first, "Madame Vastra isn't human, sir."

The Doctor sat forward in his seat. His eyes were wide and his mind was racing. "She wasn't? What was she?"

"Silurian," he answered.

"She was alien?" asked Rose incredulously.

The Doctor shook his head. "Not alien, no. Not exactly. But not human and that's the main thing here. The attacker didn't know what to do because she wasn't human. Meaning, the attacker must know very little about the human race."

Benjamin decided to speak up, a million questions running through his mind but only having the courage to ask one at a time. This was out of his territory, and he feared there was nothing he could do to help. "Does that mean the murderer will attack again, Doctor?"

Standing up, the Doctor placed his hands deep in his pockets and started to pace up and down the length of the room. Everyone watched him as he reviewed the evidence they had uncovered so far. Quite calmly, he answered, "Yes, I think he's going to strike again. Most definitely. I think something has rattled him and now he doesn't care about being consistent. And that means one thing. There is one thing that we can do to try and catch him."

He didn't wait for anyone to ask; he went ahead and told them. He stopped and looked towards Rose and Benjamin, his eyes lingering on the latter. "We need to lure him into a trap. Offer him a victim for the taking. We need someone to act as bait."

Rose followed the Doctor's gaze until her eyes also landed on Benjamin. Strax did the same, his face impassive as he watched as an onlooker. Benjamin understood what the Doctor meant, and he fully understood why the Doctor wanted him to do it. He searched inside him for everything that would give him enough bravery to do as the Doctor wished. He thought of Elizabeth, he thought of his father, he thought of his mother and he thought of Rose and the Doctor who had risked their own lives to protect him. He wanted to be brave, he wanted to be impressive. Benjamin could no longer live with disappointment and endlessly wondering what it would be like to make a stand. He was going to grasp the opportunity.

"Okay," said Benjamin. He was committing himself now, and he didn't want to turn back. "I'll do it."

* * *

A/N: Did I just – did I just kill off Vastra? Oops. This chapter wouldn't play nice, so the writing isn't the best. Reviews would be lovely, you wonderful people.


	12. Independence

A/N: If everyone reviewed that amount of times on a chapter, it would be perfect! I was meant to update this earlier but I was sorting uni stuff out for Monday. I'm not going to lie, its Fresher Week starting tomorrow (actually Fresher Fortnight at my university. We are Irish, so you can't expect anything less) and my schedule is completely packed up, day and night, so if I'm a little bit late making an update, please forgive me. This is a wee in-between chapter until we find out what's really happening in the next chapter. I'd really appreciate reviews, all you lovely people!

Chapter Twelve: Independence

Rose didn't know where it came from, or why she felt so protective of Benjamin; he was older than her, and professionally, a lot smarter, yet there was something about him which radiated vulnerability. So, when the Doctor suggested (in that powerful no nonsense stance of his) that someone, implying Benjamin, ought to act as bait, Rose was determined to make her opinions known.

Sometimes, the Doctor didn't know the effect he had on people. Well, Rose hoped he was blissfully unaware and not tactically using it to his own advantage. But, whenever anyone spent too long in the Doctor's company, or under his surveillance, they felt the sudden need to impress him and almost prove themselves to him. Rose felt it, almost everyday, and still she didn't know why. He had no super Time Lord manipulation powers, not to her knowledge. Yet, this charm, as it were, seemed to hypnotise people into agreeing to do almost anything, and Rose took it upon herself to make sure the decision was always their own, and not forced upon them.

"Wait, Doctor, what do you think you're doing?" Rose snapped. "It's too dangerous. Why can't we just – I don't know – investigate this more before jumping straight in there?"

The Doctor raised one of his eyebrows. "Well, what do you suggest, Rose? Do you have a better alternative?"

"We're not risking Benjamin!" Rose argued. "Imagine what it would do to Elizabeth is something went wrong?"

Benjamin took a step forward, raising a tentative hand and placing it on Rose's arm. "Rose, listen –"

She shrugged him off and advanced on the Doctor. "Shush, Benjamin." Hands on hips, and using her best Tyler stare, she said, "I thought we were trying to save Benjamin, not using him for bait."

The Doctor snorted. "Oh, you really do look like your mother!"

That hurt. More than Rose thought it would. For a split second her mind backtracked to a vision of Jackie, standing exactly how Rose was standing now, telling Rose off for sneaking off to a party. Perhaps she was missing her family more than she originally thought she would. Something must've shown on her face as well, because as soon as he had said it, the Doctor tried to take it back. "I mean – sorry, Rose – I didn't mean to, you know."

Ignoring him, as she thought if they lingered on the subject it would make her cry again, she repeated, "We're not using Benjamin."

Taking another step forward, Benjamin turned Rose around to face him. Her brown eyes were glistening as they stared up at him and he couldn't help but smile down at her. "I want to help, Rose. I want to do something productive. I want to help Elizabeth and I want to stop whoever is behind this. Okay?"

Rose frowned. She glanced over her shoulder at the Doctor, looking smug as ever, and rolled her eyes. When she looked back at Benjamin, he was still smiling. "You know how dangerous this is going to be, don't you, Benjamin? No one's forcing you. We're trying to help."

"I know, and now I'm trying to help. All I needed was a boost, Rose, and you took the time to give it to me. I'll take it from here."

Sulking, just more than a little bit, Rose flopped down on the sofa beside Strax and resignedly let her head rest on the leather pillow. Strax was standing beside her and looking curiously as she rested on the sofa. Rose raised her eyebrows at him, unsure of what he was thinking.

"Right, so, I have a plan. Half a plan. Maybe a bit less than half a plan, but I think it's a good plan!" the Doctor announced. "We're going to sort out how to use Benjamin as bait, and in the mean time, while I do that – Strax, would you mind sneaking into the secret dungeon Rose and I found earlier and retrieving the Bronte Book of poetry? I still think that holds major clues."

Strax stared, completely lost. "What secret dungeon?"

"I can do it," Rose offered, sitting up straight again. "Let me do something."

He dismissed her immediately. "No, I need you here."

"_No_, you want me here so you can keep an eye on me," Rose shot back at him. "You never had a problem with me investigating on my own, so what's changed now, eh?"

The Doctor shook his head. He couldn't even begin to explain. How did he tell her he couldn't lose her all over again without sounding completely ridiculous? How could he make her comprehend that if something happened to her (he has experienced it once, after all) it would shatter both of his figurative hearts? He couldn't. He simply couldn't. Was he a coward for it? Or was he using it as another excuse so he could avoid telling her how he really felt? No, he had to do something. He had to act as if everything was okay and that he wasn't observing the obvious, because sooner or later, Rose was going to catch onto it as well. Even he, the Doctor, didn't understand it yet. At that thought, Madame Vastra's letter seemed heavy in his top pocket. So, as casually as he could, he gave Rose a suggestion.

"Strax, Rose can show you the way to the secret dungeon. You can take my sonic screwdriver. But straight there and straight back, okay?"

Rose emitted an irritated sigh. "Oh no. Don't push me off with the potato!" she complained. When she noticed Strax shoot her a hurt stare, she quickly added, "No offence, Strax."

Strax narrowed his eyes. "None taken, primitive, puny human."

Unsure how to react, Rose paused for a moment or two, readying herself for a smart retort. Realising the potential argument rising between them, the Doctor stood beside Rose, a hand resting on her shoulder. She glanced up at him from the sofa, noticing so many conflicting emotions within his ancient eyes. It was as if he was having an inner battle with himself, and it had been like that since he had retrieved her from Pete's world.

"Rose, if you sense any danger or have a feeling someone is watching, you come right back again, do you hear?"

Tight frustration burned like fuel in Rose's chest. She held out her hand, gesturing for the Doctor to hand over his sonic, and snatched it clean off him when he offered it to her. "How long have we been travelling together now, Doctor? You don't have to baby me. I know what I'm doing; I think I've had enough experience. What happened with the Daleks and the Cybermen was a one off, alright? It won't happen again."

Before he even had a chance to open his mouth, never mind respond, Rose turned her back on him, her long dress flowing behind her. She shooed Strax towards the door and just before she followed she glanced towards Benjamin and wished him luck.

"Rose –" the Doctor protested, but she stubbornly ignored him. Benjamin met the Doctor's gaze as they both heard the door swing open and then the door swing shut. The Doctor physically flinched when he heard the unforgiving _click_ of the lock.

* * *

From the very moment the Doctor suggested Rose should lead the way for Strax, Rose had no intention of following his orders. Yes, she was going to show Strax to the secret dungeon, but she had plans of her own to see to, ones involving no one but herself.

The Doctor was being unreasonably overprotective. Rose supposed she should take it as a compliment – it showed how much he cared for her and he couldn't stand the thought of losing her again. As much as she loved him, it wasn't just him she loved. She loved a life with the Doctor, which included; the Doctor, the TARDIS, travelling and finding danger, or adventure, whatever you wanted to call it.

She didn't mind him being protective before, not at all. At the moment, however, he was being repressive. By trying to protect her he was actually pushing her away. Rose wanted adventure, adrenaline and action, not someone to mother her about health and safety. She'd learnt all there was to learn from the Doctor, any more was just a waste of time. What happened at Torchwood would never happen again. They came so close to losing one another, and Rose took it upon herself to make sure they would never be in that kind of situation, for as long as they both lived. No one could split them up. Not ever.

Nothing could convince her otherwise.

Rose and Strax were now standing in the alleyway on Justice Street. Rose soniced the same piece of pavement as the Doctor and shot Strax a self-assured smile when she saw the ground melt away to form a darkened staircase.

"Right, thank you, Rose," said the sontaran. "I can take it from here. You go back to the Doctor."

"No, don't think so," said Rose. She flipped the sonic screwdriver in her hand as she turned around with a mischievous smile spread across her lips. "I have other plans."

Strax turned around to her. "But the Doctor said –"

"I know and I don't care. I'm only going to be a while, and anyway, I'll probably be back at Benjamin's house the same time as you."

The sontaran seemed unsure. As Rose reached the opening of the alleyway, she saluted Strax with a single nod and flick of her wrist. Strax acknowledged her and returned it. She waited until the sontaran made his way down the dungeon steps before walking off on her own, enjoying the familiar feeling of independence as she trotted down the street, a slight bounce in her step.


	13. Ponderings and Wanderings

A/N: Okay so student life is crazier than I thought. And I already had high expectations. After messing up my ankle, which has slowly been getting worse (I think it started while wearing my high heels and tripping slightly on a night out), meeting more people than I can remember names, getting a load of free stuff, feeling sleep deprived and, if I'm being completely honest, just a little bit out of my depth – I have survived one week of fresher's fortnight and managed to somehow write this chapter. So, a review or two would be lovely from all you people reading out there! I'll mention all reviewers in a later chapter.

Chapter Thirteen: Ponderings and Wanderings

Rose's plan wasn't really a plan, but more of an action. Some deep instinct at the back of her mind was telling her to visit Elizabeth and see if she knew anything else about what was happening. She had a feeling the girl was smarter than everyone thought. But, in reality, Rose wanted away from the watchful gaze of the Doctor and visiting Elizabeth was a perfect excuse. At least now she could show him that she was still independent and he can leave her to her own devices. After the initial anger and worry, he would be glad, she was sure of it.

Rose loved the Doctor, more than anything. She had yet to tell him that, but just because she hadn't said it out loud, doesn't make it any less true, surely? She and the Doctor had an unspoken relationship, Rose supposed, they both felt the same way and thought the same things, yet nothing was ever said. Feelings are always stronger than words, no matter the situation. Perhaps it would never be said between them, who knows, but Rose doubted that there would ever be day when she would need him to say it out loud for it to be true. Unless their situation changed dramatically and it was their last chance to say it.

Their odd relationship worked, and that's all that mattered. Love without love, feelings left unshared and short kisses pushed off as symbols of friendship; they were all real. She needed no confirmation. But there was one thing that mildly irritated Rose's mind when it wandered through her thoughts – which one of them felt the strongest?

Rose knew it was her. It always seemed like more of a rhetorical question. She loved the Doctor more, she needed him more than he needed her and she would be the one left in pieces if they were ever torn apart. That was for certain. As much as she hated to admit it, Rose was well aware that if something ever happened to her, the Doctor would probably find someone new (not quite with their relationship) and one day he would move on. Selfishly, very selfishly, it always hurt her to think of it.

If they were ever put into a situation like their most recent encounter with the Cybermen and Daleks – the closest they have ever come to being parted – it would be the Doctor who would be the strong, decisive leader and Rose who would be begging for another way around their situation. That sort of weakness annoyed Rose more than she cared to admit.

There was nothing wrong if love was your one weakness. Especially if that love was for someone like the Doctor.

On her way to Lady Carson's house, Rose took a few wrong turns and along the way she noticed how strangely empty all of the streets were – perhaps the news had already reached the population of London that the Veiled Detective had been killed a day earlier than what was usually expected. Maybe people were blissfully unaware but still cautious. For whatever reason, Rose felt oddly safe walking around on her own.

From the outside, Lady Carson's house was peaceful. Rose wasn't quite sure what made her do it, but she decided, quite on impulse, that knocking on Lady Carson's front door and asking to see Elizabeth wasn't the right way to do things – no, she would sneak around the back and visit Elizabeth secretly, to avoid any suspicion from Lady Carson and the ever-watchful eyes of Waters the Butler. Anyway, she was sure Elizabeth would be more likely to confide in her if she was on her own.

Rose walked around Lady Carson's street, careful to avoid passing the windows. Around the back of the line of houses was a small alleyway, leading into the back of the houses. Rose counted them in order until she reached, what she was sure, was the back of the Carson household. The wooden fence was locked. Rose was glad she had the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, otherwise she would've had to climb over the fence in all of her long skirts and there was no chance of her doing that quietly.

The little door in the fence opened without a creak. Rose closed it behind her but kept it unlocked so she could leave the same way. Lady Carson's small back garden had an uneven and bumpy ground, like a camel's back, but was otherwise empty. Just as she expected (due to her wide knowledge of nineteenth century houses, thanks to her journeys with the Doctor) Lady Carson's house had a separate and detached back entrance, probably previously used as servant quarters, which conveniently led to the bottom floor and the top floor without disturbing the inhabitants of the house.

Rose let herself in and followed the steps up to the upper level. She bypassed the landing and climbed straight out into the balcony. Elizabeth had her curtains closed. The house seemed completely empty. For a brief moment, Rose wondered if this was a good idea after all but it was too late to turn back now. Not wanting to scare the temperamental Elizabeth, Rose gave a gentle knock on the glass and listened for a response.

A soft shuffle of a curtain told Rose that Elizabeth had heard her. The fragile girl peered through her curtain and pressed her face against the glass, curiously, and judging by her wide eyes, a little afraid of what had caused the noise against her window. She recognised Rose almost immediately and pressed her hand to the window pane, a small smile playing on her lips.

_Let me in_, Rose mouthed through the glass. Elizabeth squinted and shook her head, pointing to the chained lock on her balcony window. Rose glanced down at it, confused: why would Lady Carson lock Elizabeth's window? That wasn't right, what was going on there?

Rose took out the Doctor's sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the sealed glass. With a clatter, the chained lock fell away and dropped to Elizabeth's floor and the girl didn't hesitate to throw open her window. Rose stepped inside out of the cold, tangling herself in the curtains as she did so, causing Elizabeth to assist her.

"Elizabeth," Rose said, a little flustered after the fight with the curtain. "Why would Lady Carson lock your window?"

The girl bit her lip and nodded towards the door. She pressed a finger to her mouth and shook her head: _keep it down_.

The two girls sat down on Elizabeth's bed. Rose leaned forward and took Elizabeth's hand in her own; she wanted to be quick and get to the point, maybe even get Elizabeth out of here. Each moment that passed, Strax was more and more likely to be back at Benjamin's and the Doctor was more and more likely to be worrying.

"We found your brother, Elizabeth, we found Benjamin. But we need all the help you can give us," Rose said to her, gripping her hand. "If there's anything else you know – anything at all – right now would be a really great time to tell us."

Perhaps Elizabeth had been reading her father's diary just before Rose had decided to visit, or maybe the girl was hoping Rose would return, but whatever the reason, Elizabeth threw back her cotton blanket on top of her bed to reveal her father's diary lying open and waiting to be read.

Elizabeth flicked the book a few pages forward before handing it back over to Rose. The extract read:

_ "I leave for Africa tomorrow, and I am starting to fear for my children. As I gather more and more information on this case all the dots are leading back to one person in particular, one person who meant the world to me and still does: my beautiful wife, Alice. I no longer believe this started with the green shooting star. I believe this was a well thought out plan constructed by an intelligent, if not slow and clumsy, genius. Alice was its first victim and since then it has been gathering more and more information on the human race, just waiting to attack."_

There was a gap, and then a new paragraph a little hard to read because of ink splotches. Rose wondered if they were caused by the tears of Jonathan Primrose.

_ "I will leave this diary with you, my dear Elizabeth and I hope you will keep it safe. If you have reached this far you have probably read the entire diary. I am sorry. Truly, sorry. I am sorry I have not been a better father, and I am sorry I have left you in this mess. The only action I can take now is to distance myself between you and Benjamin, in the vain hope I am keeping you safe. Know that I love you, and your mother always loved you and I hope Lady Carson will take good care of you; she has been there for me since your mother died, and has always guided me in the right direction since that terrible time. Hopefully she can do the same to you. _

_ Stay strong, my little princess. I know I will see you very soon, and maybe then you can forgive me. Until then, all the love in the world. Your father."_

When Rose met Elizabeth's gaze, the girl's eyes were filled with tears. Rose hung a loose arm around the emotional girl and brought her closer. Delicately, she whispered, "How about we bring this diary to the Doctor so he can have a look? Both of us. Would you like to see your brother?"

Elizabeth gave a slow nod and took back her diary. As Rose stood up and walked to the open window, Elizabeth closed her father's book and started to wrap it up in the soft ribbon once more. Rose held out her hand for Elizabeth to take, and said, "Come on, let's go."

Just then, as if on cue, Elizabeth's door swung open, causing Rose to jump back in surprise. She grabbed Elizabeth's free hand and stood in front of her, shooting the person standing at Elizabeth's door a wary glare.

It was Lady Carson.

But it didn't look like Lady Carson at all.

"No," the thing said in Lady Carson's voice, "I don't think you two are going anywhere."

* * *

Note: This is where the EastEnder's music plays.


	14. Flowers and Guesses

A/N: Sorry to anyone who has me on their Favourite Author list and received like seven emails from me – fanfiction kept changing the description on my new story. (Check it out if you want, I wrote it really quickly before a lecture; it's called 'An Inexcusable Feeling' and it's Whouffle) This adventure is coming to an end, but not before I break your heart a little. I originally planned to post this earlier but I got onto my university's Student's Union Magazine as a Journalist and my first article was to write a tribute to Seamus Heaney with only five days to do it in. But here it is! Bring tissues next time around, and I'd really appreciate a review or two. Thank you to my regular reviewers; you will be mentioned next chapter!

Chapter Fourteen: Flowers and Guesses

When Strax returned to the Doctor, on his own, he was more than a little confused.

The small alien didn't even get a chance to rap the door because the Doctor was there in two heartbeats once he realised Rose was absent. The Doctor was going through some theory with Benjamin, prepping him up and tipping him off on what to expect from their plan of action. The Doctor had a full plan now and Benjamin was one hundred per cent behind him throughout it, even if it did mean the young lawyer putting his life at risk.

The only person to distract him now was Rose. And Rose wasn't here.

"Where's Rose?" the Doctor practically shouted in Strax's face once the door was open.

Strax was standing with one fist raised in the air ready to knock the door and a puzzled expression on his scrunched up potato face.

The Doctor slammed his hand against the door frame. "_Where's_ Rose?!" he demanded.

Strax straightened and revealed the book he was holding in his other hand. "She said she had other plans and she would be back here around the same time as me. Is she not back yet?"

"Obviously not!" the Doctor spat. He stood to the side to let Strax into the hall. "Did you ask her where she went? You didn't stop her from going?"

"Um, no. Should I've?"

The Doctor fell against the closed door, his head pressing against the wood and his eyes closed tight. He didn't respond. He had no words. A deep, irritating and inconsolable anger tainted with fear rose through him. His fists clenched together and he had to physically bite his tongue to stop himself from shouting. Why couldn't she just listen? Why did she have to be so defiantly stubborn? Couldn't she see she was putting herself in unnecessary danger? Couldn't she see what was happening to _him_ because she so reckless? It was like he was facing his biggest phobia at every turn. The universe was trying to tear them apart and Rose seemed to be a willing accomplice.

Reckless, stubborn, defiant, independent. Everything that drove him to the point of breaking.

But he wouldn't love her any other way.

While his feet led him back into the living room, the Doctor's mind was lost elsewhere. Benjamin was half standing and half sitting, his eyes narrowing as he realised they were one person down.

"Where's Rose?" he asked, a little _too_ concerned for the Doctor's liking.

"Not here," answered Strax.

The Doctor, coming to a swift decision, shrugged and snatched Strax's book from his clasp. It was indeed the Bronte book of poetry that Rose had told them about. He flicked over to the first page and found that he didn't need to go any further. Three poems were highlighted in the index – the three first poems in the book, all by the author Charlotte Bronte. They were 'Retrospection,' 'Parting,' and 'Life.'

When he flicked to the three poems, everything fell into place. The first poem, 'Retrospection' talked of a fantasy land created by the Bronte sisters when they were young. It was the last two lines of the final stanza that were underlined in this one: _Oh how my heart shrank back to thee,/Then I felt how fast thy ties had bound me._

The Second poem, 'Parting' spoke of death, life, parting and families. Once again it referred to hearts and remembrance, not to mention shooting stars, but it was left quite blank.

The third and final poem called 'Life' was probably the most highlighted by the reader, and the one which made the Doctor connect the dots. The lines underlined in this one were: _If the shower will make the roses bloom,/O why lament its fall?_ And in the second stanza: _What though Death at times steps in,/And calls our Best away?_ It was all so clear now. How hadn't he seen it before? But he needed confirmation.

"Benjamin!" he shouted, making the young man jump. "You said you studied the cases of the Heartless murders – so tell me this; who was the first victim?"

He stuttered. "Um, um a woman called… Best, I think her name was. She was married to Alfred Best."

The Doctor reopened the book of poems to the last highlighted stanza: _What though Death at times steps in,/And calls our Best away? What though sorrow seems to win,/O'er hope, a heavy sway?/Yet hope again elastic springs,/Unconquered, though she fell;/Still buoyant are her golden wings,/Still strong to bear us well._

Yep. _Best_ was capitalised in the poem. It all fit.

"Your last name is Primrose. The poem refers to flowers and roses, ha! Why didn't I see this before?"

The Doctor was on his feet now, exuberating energy. "Best was capitalised in the poem and the first victim was dear old Mrs Best! Ha! Well, we believe she was the first victim. Now I'm not too sure. Shooting stars, flowers, names, hearts, everything that refers to the Heartless Case! It's all in these poems!"

Benjamin was staring at the Doctor as if he was crazy. "And what's important about that…?"

"What's important is the significance of metaphors and personification and allusion and everything else that makes literature so spectacular and knowledgeable and so incredibly _human_!" the Doctor shouted while flinging the book across the room.

"I don't know what you –"

"Strax," the Doctor turned to the alien in order to clear up some of Benjamin's confusion. "If I tell you my love for you is like the darling buds of May, what do you think I mean?"

The sontaran frowned in concentration. "I would tell you, sir, that to say such a thing is a serious tactical disadvantage on your part."

The Doctor smiled and walked over, slowly, to Strax. He draped his arm around his small shoulders and patted his head fondly. "Benjamin, primitive and unemotional creatures, such as Strax here, cannot comprehend the meaning of poetry. They take it in the literal sense instead of figurative imagery and are unable to understand literary devices. They're stupid when it comes to literature. All the space for meaning in their tiny little brains is used up for pointless information like military strength and opposition."

While Strax tried to process this insult, Benjamin's expression softened. His eyes widened and he raised a finger to point in the Doctor's direction as the realisation hit him.

"What if," said the Doctor, "the only piece of information an alien from a faraway galaxy had on the human race was a simple book of poetry. And instead of truly understanding it, they took everything as literal. When they thought the true weakness of humanity was the human heart – they didn't believe it was the emotional, figurative heart. They believed it was literal. Hence why the first victims were found without hearts."

"Best – the name Best!" Benjamin exclaimed. "They read the name in the poem!"

Strax, still miffed by the insult, concluded, "And that explains why the culprit didn't know how to attack Madame Vastra. She wasn't human."

The Doctor laughed and slapped Strax playfully on his blue armour. "Brilliant, Strax! Not so stupid, after all!"

Benjamin was beaming at their new epiphany. The young man was now leaning against the fireplace, a wide smile spread across his handsome face and his kind eyes crinkled as the grin reached him inside and warmed his heart. They were finally getting somewhere in this investigation. All thanks to the Doctor and Rose.

But now the Doctor was frowning and his eyes were dark and serious. The way he walked over to Benjamin made him feel unsteady; there was something else. Something the Doctor wasn't taking lightly and something Benjamin had a deeply bad feeling about.

"Benjamin," the Doctor started, his voice hollow and low, "this invasion didn't start seven months ago. This has been simmering for a while. Two years, I reckon."

"Two years?"

"Yes. Whoever this was has decided to lie low. When they arrived here they decided to choose one victim. One person to deepen their knowledge on humans before they started to attack others. One person to make sure what they read in the book was correct. Then they waited until the time was right, to call for back up – the shooting star seven months ago."

Benjamin started to shake his head. _No. No, not her._

"I think you know who the first victim was, Benjamin," the Doctor whispered, reaching out a hand to the young man.

"No, please," Benjamin pleaded as if the Doctor could change the past.

The Doctor nodded. Resolute. Cold. He needed him to understand. "I'm sorry. So sorry. But it was your mother; Alice Primrose."

Benjamin's legs gave way. The Doctor helped him over to the armchair and let him have a moment for this new piece of information to sink in. It wouldn't be easy, he knew that. But there was more.

"When did you say Lady Carson arrived in town?" he asked delicately.

Benjamin's eyes widened in horror. "Two years ago."

"And she became acquainted with your father straight away?"

"Yes."

"I don't think that's a coincidence, do you? I also don't think it's a coincidence that the TARDIS landed right on her street. She was trying to tell us straight away, the old girl."

Through his heartbreak and confusion, realisation dawned on Benjamin's face. He sat on the edge of his seat, his hands gripping onto the armrests, his eyes staring unblinkingly at the Doctor. "But Elizabeth – Elizabeth's with Lady Carson! She has been all this time! We have to –"

"No," the Doctor interrupted, raising his hand. "Get your coat. I have another plan."

As the Doctor gestured for Strax to follow, Benjamin stood up, looking a little lost. "What about Rose?"

The Doctor, still bristling with irritation, shrugged and turned his back on the two of them. "Rose can look after herself, obviously. Not my problem. We have bigger matters to sort."

The silence that followed his announcement made the Doctor sharply turn back around. When it came to the matter of the deeply complex Rose, and their relationship, he could not fake a lie. He breathed out a heavy and annoyed sigh, throwing Benjamin over his coat and patting Strax on his potato head. "Who am I kidding? Of course we're going to find Rose first. I couldn't go anywhere without her."

* * *

Note: I'm sorry, but I just laughed at my own writing: the image of the Doctor praising literature while throwing a book across the room did it. I didn't mean to end it there (well, I did) so suspenseful, but I'll try to update sooner in the next few days!


	15. Revealing All

A/N: Jello shots. Ever heard of jello shots? They sound very American, but they're great. Its jelly mixed with lots of alcohol which is then poured into shot glasses. It's strangely nice. Anyway, I blame jello shots for holding back this update. I was supposed to update this last Wednesday or Thursday but then a pub crawl and jello shots ensued, followed by other university things which would take too much time to explain. Thank you so much to the wonderful DoctorPeeves, the delightful Valerie E. Mackin, Sunsetsoccer, Guest, GryffindorGrl97 and beccaspad. Reviews make me smile! Thanks for reading!

Chapter Fifteen: Revealing All

Lady Carson clearly wasn't human, that much was for certain. She wasn't even alien.

What Rose was looking at was a finely-tuned but hollowed-out android wearing Lady Carson's dress, speaking in Lady Carson's voice and looking through Lady Carson's human eyes.

Lady Carson was made of metal, and in that moment, that was all Rose cared about.

But now Rose was running. It was hard running in a long dress, you know. She pushed Elizabeth towards the window and looked back over her shoulder. Robot-Lady Carson was standing still, staring at them, with no emotion (obviously) and seemingly unfazed by their escape. Rose didn't stop to think why; she knew something else was going on. She had to get Elizabeth out of here and then find the Doctor, tell him everything and then think up another plan because they sure as hell weren't expecting this.

Rose was pulling Elizabeth down the steps by the hand and into the back garden. The girl's eyes were alight with fright but she easily kept up with Rose – was it adrenaline or had Elizabeth been waiting for a way out all along?

Once they were out of the back gate, Rose thanked herself for not locking it before pausing to sonic it shut so Lady Carson couldn't follow them. She pulled Elizabeth along again, around to the front of the street, and it was there the whole situation changed.

Rose abruptly stopped running to get a better look at Lady Carson's house. It was completely dark from the front. Why weren't they following? No one was attempting to stop them. Was it a trap? Maybe something had gotten to the Doctor so Lady Carson knew she had no where to run to. Elizabeth pulled her arm, a silent gesture telling her to _hurry up_, probably. Rose simply stared at the girl two years younger than her, a confused frown on her face.

"Something's wrong, Elizabeth. Why isn't she following us?"

Just as Rose said it, as if Lady Carson was waiting for Rose's paranoia to sink in, the front door of Lady Carson's house opened with a terrifyingly loud squeak on the quiet Christmas Eve. But it didn't reveal Lady Carson, oh no, it was Waters the Butler who walked down the stone steps to Rose. Why was it always the butlers?

"You can run, if you like," he said, silkily clam, "or you can surrender."

"Surrender?" Rose scoffed, keeping confident. "I'm not scared of one puny alien – because I am guessing you are an alien – and his pet robot. No mate, see you later. We best be off."

Waters raised an eyebrow, hands behind his back, and smiled. "Oh? What about one puny alien and a dozen robots?"

All he needed to do was click his fingers. Just once.

Every house on the street opened their front doors at the same time. At each threshold stepped out an android, dressed in Georgian attire like Lady Carson, but their faces metal and hollow. Cold. Creepy. To Rose's despair, a second robot followed the first so that they were standing beside one another. Two robots in each house, all surrounding them, all ready for Waters to give the command.

Rose squeezed Elizabeth's hand and turned around on the spot, looking for anything to jump out at her as a way out of this situation. Her heart was pumping in her ears as fear and adrenaline mixed together in the pit of her stomach. She didn't have many options. All she could do was focus on keeping Elizabeth safe.

Rose drew herself up to full height and looked Waters defiantly in the eyes. The Doctor would find her. The Doctor always found her eventually.

* * *

The Doctor knew exactly where Rose would be so he knew exactly where to go. What he didn't expect was the scene that was waiting for him.

Benjamin had followed them like a loyal puppy, eager and determined to prove himself – a combination the Doctor admired in someone his age. If the Doctor was being completely honest, he was rather fond of Benjamin. He liked the young man, yes; he just didn't like how he looked at Rose. When this was all over and dealt with the Doctor would offer him a trip or two in the TARDIS. Benjamin was quick-witted and quick to learn, very charming if the Doctor considered it further, and he already knew Rose approved of him. The three of them could make a good team, he reckoned, although he was sure not repeat his past mistakes – he would establish ground rules with Benjamin, and one of those rules would be _no flirting with other travelling companions_. He couldn't handle another flirty Captain Jack Harkness, especially not when Rose was involved.

It had started to snow by the time he arrived. The flakes of ice landed on his hair and on his jacket and slowly melted into water from the heat of his body. He could tell something wasn't right as soon as he turned into the street. All of the houses had the doors open wide, for a start. In the centre of the street, on the cobbled road, stood over a dozen androids gathered in a circle, all of their right arms pointing to the centre in which stood Rose and Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was silently crying into Rose's arm. But it was Rose who the Doctor focused on; she was standing in the circle, holding Elizabeth, unfazed by the dozens of guns pointed right at her. His heart swelled with pride at the very sight of it. Her eyes met his across the distance and a flicker of a smile spread across her face. The snowflakes were landing in her hair and making it shine like liquid gold. A moment of fleeting fright passed over him: _what would I be without her?_

"Nice of you to join us, Doctor," said a firm voice from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, the guess already at his lips.

_Why is it always the butlers?_ The Doctor asked himself.

"Waters," the Doctor acknowledges, "I'm guessing this isn't a tea party."

Waters walks around the Doctor, his eyes lingering for a second too long on Benjamin and skimming over Strax. Sizing up his opponents.

"You'd guess correctly. I'm sorry, but I still don't really understand the reasoning behind humour. It's so _human_."

The Doctor scoffed. "Well, welcome to Earth. Let me guess where you're from… Binjo? Farpool? Laswen? Somewhere in the Tarvgareyan galaxy, that's for sure."

There's a glitter in Waters' eye. "What makes you think that?"

"You're ignorant and indifferent to other races, but you still manage to think you can invade them," the Doctor explained. "Unsociable lot. Well, Farpool's not too bad, or Laswen. But Binjo… difficult lot. Hard to please."

"Binjo," Waters' answered, his face pulled into a scowl.

The Doctor laughed. He placed his hands in his pockets and swayed on the spot, watching with careful eyes as Waters' walked around the circle, his gaze on Rose. "That would explain the lavender," he continued, "the lavender in your house. The lavender in the lair. Lavender is the closest thing on Earth you can find to equalise the smell of oxygen."

"Anything else you'd like to clarify?"

"Two years ago. Why did you land here? Where did you get the Bronte book?"

"A dealer in town. He was selling ancient Earth artefacts. Told me this book was held in high prestige on Earth. Got me interested, so to speak. Me and a few others – we'd never heard of humans before. We wanted to colonise, that was all. I travelled over, the first pioneer. Humans are a lot more delicate than I thought, isn't that right Doctor? I needed to know the enemy so I tracked down a human I thought would fit the descriptions in my book – _Primrose_. Back then I didn't realise a rose was a flower, not a person. Same with the meaning of _Best_. I thought these things referred to people, and of course if they're mentioned in the book, I should track them down to study."

Benjamin was shaking. Elizabeth had unattached herself from Rose and was staring silently at her brother, as if for confirmation that the alien was speaking of their mother and not someone else.

"You couldn't study them alive," the Doctor said with disgust. "But what about the others? Why did you kill them?"

Waters shrugged. "I was sloppy. They saw me, knew too much or found out one of their neighbours was a robot."

"Yes, the androids," said the Doctor, taking a step forward. Waters took a step closer to the robots as he did so. "Why androids?"

"Cheap and easy to make, easy to hide in this primitive time, just enough power to take over a city of this size, take your pick. We're not greedy, Doctor… all we want is a small colonisation. Nothing spectacular."

Benjamin stood beside the Doctor, his confidence and anger growing with every second. "If he's not human why does he look human?"

It was Rose who answered him from inside the circle. "Perception filter," she said. "Aren't I right, Doctor?"

Rose's announcement sparked Waters' interest in her. He gestured for his androids to part in the middle, his gaze on the Doctor as he walked towards her. The alien placed a hand on her shoulder, which Rose immediately threw off in protest. Elizabeth cowered behind her.

"The only people standing in my way are you lot," Waters said to her. The Doctor bristled as he watched, his hand grasping around for his sonic screwdriver, forgetting it was in Rose's possession. How far would he go to protect Rose now? After that day with Torchwood? He wasn't sure, and he didn't really want to find out.

Waters reached down to his pocket and deactivated the perception filter. The alien underneath was monstrous; the real Waters was large and tall, with a red, brittle skin like a crab. One of his arms was a giant pincer and the other was sharp like a dagger. His head was long and flat, with a faint resemblance to a hammer-head shark, and his back was hunched over. Elizabeth emitted a faint squeak at the sight of him and Benjamin jumped back in horror.

Strax raised his weapon and pointed it towards the newly revealed alien. "Stay where you are!" the sontaran shouted eagerly, "Step away from the boys and surrender. You have no business here on Earth."

The Doctor looked at him sideways. "_Strax_," he hissed.

The sontaran, not catching on, frowned and took a step closer. "_Girls_," he corrected.

"Put down your weapon, sontaran," warned Waters, his voice lower and huskier.

When Strax didn't budge, Waters clicked his fingers. The androids moved out of their formation and pointed their handguns at the Doctor, Strax and Benjamin. The Doctor raised his eyebrows, rocking back and forth on his heels; he would usually be bored by now if it wasn't for the distance between him and Rose. He had a plan (sort of) it was just the events after he wasn't too sure about. At the moment they were in a stalemate – the Doctor knew how to deactivate the robots but Waters also had Rose and he wouldn't do anything that would jeopardise her position. It was almost as if Waters knew all of this.

There was only one thing for it. The Doctor would have to make all focus turn on him and just wait for the perfect moment. Rose was smart and intuitive; she would know what he was doing in order to help him out.

So the Doctor sauntered forward, full of arrogance and cockiness, his eyes trained on his enemy. "These androids, made of polytarboid, am I right?"

"The strongest polytarboid."

"That is _strong_. Magnetic as well, bulletproof and reinforced by the molecules of a diamond."

"Nothing can stop them."

"Except, let's say, if someone had a sonic tool which could reach a high enough frequency on the fractor scale, large enough to shatter the very outer wall of the tarbolical molecules, causing the androids to disassemble from the outside rendering them completely unusable."

Rose caught his stray glance, the sonic screwdriver in her hand and with a glorious mischievous smirk; she reached over Waters and threw the sonic over the robots with all the strength she could manage. The Doctor caught it with the tips of his fingers, but just as he did so, Waters, at the same time, grabbed Rose by her hair and pulled her in front of him, his clawed crab arm clasped around her neck.

"You do it and she dies," Waters snapped. Rose shook her head but he tightened his grip.

"Do it," she squeezed out.

That was when the Doctor noticed a shadow behind Waters's back. Benjamin had picked up Strax's gun which he dropped at Waters's threat. The young man had sneaked around the robots, unnoticed by Waters and was now standing behind him, gun raised and ready to let loose.

But Benjamin didn't use it how the Doctor expected.

Benjamin used the bulk weight of Strax's gun to hit Waters around the head with it. Waters cried out and dropped Rose, and the Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the androids. There was a spark of light followed by a puff of smoke and it was too good to be true –

Rose pushed Elizabeth towards the Doctor, to safety, and when she turned back to Benjamin –

Waters had pushed him to the ground, his pointed arm, as sharp as a blade, flying through the air. Rose didn't know what else to do. She charged at the alien and launched her body against his. Waters batted her away as if she weighed nothing, and before she hit the ground beside Benjamin, Water redirected his aim…

Benjamin didn't cry out when the pointed blade pierced his stomach. He didn't even cry.

But Rose did.


End file.
